


Willow and the Whitebeard Pirates

by Wolf_clawgirl13



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Semi AU, Some violence when needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-30 18:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 29,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10882869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_clawgirl13/pseuds/Wolf_clawgirl13
Summary: As the title would suggest, it is a one piece fan fic, though it is not and X reader. This is a story of my own design, and with my own character. I will play the cannon characters as closely as I can to the show, though I will take out some events that happened in the show, as you'll see later in the story.





	1. The Whitebeard Pirates pt. 1

(Character description: Her name is Willow, and she’s only 14 years old, and she’s been a servant for her entire life, going from master to master, not because she was a bad servant, but to them, she was. Her appearance: She looks human enough in her face, but that’s about the only thing. She has fur on her legs, arms, and head, though at least the fur on her head looks like hair. She also has a tail, as well as fangs, claws, on her hands and feet, wolf ears, and ocher eyes. Her fangs stick out of her mouth only slightly. Her fur is black with red streaks running through it, and she has many scars, some she’s inflicted herself, while others are where her fur seems to not grow, though she has a lot of fur. She has a hard time of trusting people, and until someone proves her wrong, she won’t trust them, and even then, she won’t trust them all the way, as her entire life has been miserable, as she’s been on her own since she was a child. (I put this description here, so that you all know what my character looks like, and she is the first person that is speaking.)

 

I don’t know how, but I had successfully escaped from my last master. I’d gone through so many of them in the past … however many years. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, not with how I’d been treated. I was a thing, a beast, an animal to people, and that’s all I thought that I’d ever stay. I wasn’t too old, though I wasn’t sure how old, and I looked more like a child, though I was never a child.

When I had escaped, it was dark, and of course I can see in the dark, though I was panicking, so I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going. I fell off the cliff that I had been trying to avoid, and into the ocean, hitting a few sharp rocks on the way. The salt water stung, but that’s all it did, as I’d been through worse. I panicked only slightly when I got to the surface, but once I stabled myself, I started swimming. I didn’t know where I was going to go, or who I was going to meet on the sea, but I’d get somewhere … even if that somewhere wasn’t a nice place.

For days I had swam out far into the ocean, and I knew that I had made a slight mistake, as I’d not grabbed anything to help me stay afloat. I was starting to slow and tire, when luck seemed to be on my side for once. In the distance, I saw something floating on top of the water. I wanted to swim towards it quickly, but I kept myself slow. I finally got to the shattered and splintered pieces of wood, and I latched onto the biggest piece. Digging my claws into the wood, I laid my head down, and just rested for a little while, drifting off into a light sleep, moving with the water as it decided to carry me where it wanted me to go.

My light sleeping was always interrupted with the bumps and jars from the waves, and other noises that I could hear, though I wasn’t panicking, not yet at least. The only thing that I was wishing for right now, was for some solid ground to be under my feet, and possibly getting something to eat. One of my masters taught me that I could go without food for a while, though almost every master I had taught me a new lesson … and even so, they seemed to have helped make me a bit stronger, not in a good way.

As I continued to drift in and out of light sleep, visions and short dreams came to me, all of them memories from the many masters and things that happened to me. I never knew if I would ever be safe, not that I’d ever been. Everyone was the same in my eyes until they proved that thought wrong, but it would take a lot for me to be able to trust someone, and even then, I don’t know how well that I’d be able to trust them.

It had been a few more days I’d just been floating around, and at this point, anyone else would have been hallucinating, but for me, I was just seeming to sleep a bit deeper, the sun being high in the sky wasn’t helping. What the sun and sleep made me miss was the large ship heading my way. They weren’t going to hit me, but they were going to come up alongside me.

The large ship that was made to look like a whale was heading my way, the crew on board moving around, though not as much as it seemed that they should. The captain of the ship was sitting in his seat, while his right hand man was sitting on the deck near him, others walking around. As some of the crew walked around, the ship getting ever closer to me, a few people spot me, and go get a net. They lowered the net into the water, and as they got closer to me, the net snags on the wood, and they make quick work to pull me up to get me onboard. When they do, they see me barely breathing, and wonder what the captain will think of me. They pry my claws out of the wood, and grab my wrists, carrying me towards the captain.

At this point, I was starting to wake up slightly, though everything was blurry, all the sounds and voices muffled. Everything was slowly but surely coming into focus, but I was still confused. I wasn’t sure if it was a dream, or if it was something else. In a way, I hoped that it wasn’t a dream, and yet I really wanted it to be a dream. 

Finally, things came into focus, and I could see the boards of the deck, and start to hear the voices, as well as feeling the hands gripping my wrists. I knew that this wasn’t a dream, but I had no idea where I was. 

“Pops, we found someone in the water, what should we do with them?” My eyes had only been open slightly, but when I heard that, a chill went down my spine, my eyes went wide, and I curled up slightly, my tail curling under me, as my ears flattened. I did all this slowly of course, but at this point, I wanted to just run away. I made a very quiet noise, not looking up, my breathing picking up its pace.

“Set them down, give them time to come around.” I hear another voice say. This voice sounds a bit raspy, a little harsh, and not really friendly. I am set down though, and instead of bolting, my claws go into the deck, as I want to just stay there. No one was doing anything to me, not yet at least, but if they would allow me to just get off at an island or something, that would be fine, but I was really hoping that I wouldn’t have any trouble with them.

“Are you going to move, or just going to stay there?” The raspy voice asks again. I take a few deep breaths, before I look up. My eyes go wide, and I almost want to back up, but my claws keep me from doing that. My jaw drops, and I start shaking. The man in front of me was a giant, and he had a weapon in his hand. I couldn’t look away from him, and even if I wanted to run, I couldn’t. He laughs a bit, and I can’t tell whether his smile is friendly or not. He looks like he’s waiting for me to say something, but for right now, I can’t, and the two people next to me haven’t moved away from me.

“How about you two move away, and give them space, they won’t do anything.” He says. I don’t look away from him, but I hear the two move away, though I can still feel them watching me. I continue to watch the old man, and he continues to watch me, though I can almost see his gaze soften some as he looks at me. He then moves his free arm forward, holding his hand out to me, motioning for me to come towards him. I feel so much fear that it’s almost impossible for me too, and I am unsure of what he wants to do. The man sitting next to him seems bored, and doesn’t seem to care about the situation too much.

I unhooked my claws from the deck, and slowly stood up. I didn’t want to move too fast and be deemed a threat. Once I stood up, my ragged clothes helping to keep me covered, I could feel so many other pairs of eyes on me, and it made me shrink down a little bit, though I never stopped looking at the old man.

I slowly started to walk towards him, jumping at every noise I heard, or at every little movement that I saw. At one point, I stopped completely, my shaking a bit more visible now, trying to keep myself steady, but that wasn’t happening. I couldn’t hide my fear any longer, and I could see that his gaze had shifted again, but not in a bad way. When I didn’t feel frozen, I slowly started to move towards him again. He had stayed relatively still the entire time, and he hadn’t looked away.

I finally got to where his hand was, and although it felt like an eternity, it was only a couple of minutes. I looked at his hand, before I looked up at him. The one thing that I was trusting him not to do, was squish me. He chuckles a little under his breath, as he leans back into his chair, looking at me. I stayed quiet, as I waited for him or anyone else to say something, and yet he wasn’t saying anything. He lets out a sigh, before he speaks.

“Floating out at sea? That’s a dangerous game.” I only nod at what he says, and I am able to look away from him briefly, and when I see the flag, my legs grow weak, and I fall to my knees. All I’d ever heard about pirates, was that they were very bad people, and that they’d hurt you, if not immediately, then over time. I was starting to panic and shake a bit more, but I looked at him with even more fear. I was afraid that he was going to kill me, and continue to do so when he found out about the one things my old masters failed to realize. My breath was shaky, and tears were pricking my eyes. I had told myself over and over to not cry or show fear in front of others, as it would make my life harder than it was, though at this point in time, I didn’t care. I had lost all hope for myself, and I knew that this ship would be my prison for a time to come.

I watched him as he seemed to be confused by my sudden change. The old man in the chair just looks at me. The man sitting next to him seems a bit confused as well.

“Pops, what should we do with them, they obviously don’t want our help.” He says, his face still seeming to stay emotionless somehow. The man in the chair just shakes his head.

“We will let them stay, though when we reach another island, we’ll let them leave if they chose. For now, see if they’ll eat.” He says, as one of the other crew members walks off somewhere, coming back with a bowl of soup, setting it down in front of me. I only look at it briefly, before looking back up at him. A few tears had fallen down my face, though I wasn’t sure if they fell because I was hopeful or afraid. A few more people had stopped to watch, wondering what I would do.

When I finally got out of the trance that I’d had myself in, I look back down at the bowl. I carefully pick it up, almost as if it would break if I held it any other way. I could feel the warmth of the bowl in my hands, and I could see that it was fresh. I brought it up to my lips, and blew on it, before I slowly started to eat it. I didn’t taste anything weird in it, and even though I wanted to wolf it down, I didn’t. I finished it very slowly, and when I was done, I let my hands fall to my lap, still holding the bowl, as I looked up at the old man in the chair, licking my lips to get the rest of the soup off my mouth. I definitely felt much better, and the food I’d just eaten was much better than anything I’d ever tasted, and even though I wanted more, I wouldn’t ask for it. One of the crew members came over, and took the bowl away. I was slowly starting to feel myself get tired, and my eyes drooped slightly. I looked up at the man in the chair, his eyes meeting mine, as I was mentally begging him to not let me fall asleep, though I don’t think he heard my thoughts.

I continue to sit up, my eyes drooping a lot, enough to where I have to almost hold them open. My limbs and body were starting to grow weak as well. I ended up falling over when I couldn’t hold myself up anymore, and even though I was fighting off sleep, I was losing, and eventually, sleep overtook me.

The man in the chair watched me the entire time, and smiled kindly when I was finally asleep.

“Gently move them, and put them on the couch in my room. I will talk with them when they wake up.” He says, watching his crew move me, as he was interested in where I came from.

The emotionless man gives Pops a slightly confused look, though he knows that Pops will know what to do when the time comes. He and none of the others thought of me as a threat, and even I should have known that I myself wasn’t a threat, unless I was trained to be one. I was a fast learner, and could pick things up quickly, though there was a gift that I possessed that I didn’t even know that I had.


	2. The Whitebeard Pirates pt. 2

The day continued to drag on, and when it got dark, Pops got up from his chair, and headed to his room. He opened the door, and then closed it quietly as he entered into his room. He walked over to his bed, and sat down, a lantern burning in his room. He looked over at me, and saw that I was still asleep, though I was sure to wake up sooner or later. He looked towards the ceiling, before he closed his eyes, just resting them, as he was going to wait until I woke up to try and talk to me.

He was a patient man, and he knew that something was wrong, and he had suspicions of what that could possibly be. I was slowly starting to wake up, everything blurry and muffled as I do. I slowly pushed myself up, starting to look around as I do. It was a darker room, but at least it was lit. I feel a chill go down my spine, wondering where I am, but that fear goes away, slightly, when he speaks.

“So, you’re finally awake.” I look over towards him, his yellow eyes looking at me with the same kindness that he had earlier. I shrink down a bit on the couch, as my vision was clear enough that I saw that I was in his room. My tail curls under me, and my ears go back as I look at him. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” I just look at him, not moving. I didn’t feel anything around him like I did with my other masters, though maybe he could have just been hiding it.

“What were you doing floating on the sea? I doubt that you were on a ship.” I shake my head, as I wasn’t on a ship, but I was hesitant to say anything to him that could get me sent back, and I didn’t want to go back. He let out a sigh, still looking at me. “Can you speak?” He asks. I nod. “Well, if you start answering my questions, maybe I can help you.” I make a quiet noise, and I slowly sit up some, trying to relax slightly.

I continue to look at him, and open my mouth to speak, nothing coming out at first, before I finally say something. “You can’t …” I say quietly, as his expression changes, as he realizes that I’m not a boy, but the expression change isn’t bad. I closed my eyes, and made myself smaller, as I didn’t know how he would react to what I’d just said. I’d learned from my masters that if you even talked back, or told someone that they couldn’t, you’d get hurt for it, though nothing was even happening right now, so I wondered if maybe I could possibly talk and not get into trouble.

When nothing happened after a few minutes, I slowly opened my eyes and looked at him. I made a noise, as he was still sitting where he was, not having moved. I wasn’t really sure what that meant, but maybe he was different from the other people that I’d been around. I seemed to perk up only slightly, though I wasn’t sure what I was feeling, but I was thankful that he wasn’t doing anything.

Even though his expression had changed, I felt that maybe he was still going to continue on with his idea to try and help me, even though he probably couldn’t. I didn’t like to be around people, as I was always afraid, thanks to the life that I had been given.

Before he can even say anything, the door opens. My head swings in that direction, and once the door opens fully, my eyes go wide at the figure standing in the doorway. He walks in, his raven hair moving slightly, his grey eyes bright, a smirk on his face. I just stare at him, before I slowly step off the couch, walking backwards on all fours. I didn’t see the happy face of this new stranger, I saw the frowning, angry face of my old master. I only focused on the stranger, and not on Pops, as my mind was only focused on him.

I continued to back up, and stare at him. He finally seemed to notice me when Pops went and put his hand down, trying to keep me from moving. The raven haired man looked at me, and raised an eyebrow, though I didn’t even notice that. Pops gently wrapped his hand around me, and when I felt his hand, I froze up, my eyes going wide, before letting out a very loud cry. I felt his hand jerk away, and I took that opportunity to back away, and into a corner, shaking and whimpering. He hadn’t hurt me, but I didn’t like to be touched because any time that I was, it always meant that it was going to hurt.

I didn’t see the raven man or Pops jump, though I could feel them staring at me. I heard one set of footsteps, which stopped only after three steps into the room. I heard Pops’ voice, and I felt a little better, of course, it was only because he’d not done anything to me, though I didn’t know if he would or not. “Ace, come back another time. I’m glad one of my sons is back, but for now, we have a guest, who needs time to get used to the ship, and the people on it.” He nods, before walking out, closing the door quietly behind him.

It took me some time, but I got a hold of myself. I slowly relaxed, and looked up, seeing Pops staring back at me, sadness and kindness in his eyes. “Don’t worry, no one on this ship will hurt you, they do, and they’ll answer to me. We may be pirates, but we aren’t like the ones you may have heard so much about.”

I only nod at what he says, before slowly laying back down where I was. I didn’t want to move, and in a sense, I felt safer in the corner. He sighs, before re-positioning himself on his bed, this time laying back. I listen to him, as he slowly falls asleep, his breaths becoming deeper as he does.

I lay my head on my hands, and try to close my eyes, though visions of the master that was most recently brought up by the man who walked in kept flashing in front of my eyes, so I just let them stay open. I let out a quiet sigh, listening to Pops, and the other noises of the ship. As big as the ship was, I could almost hear where everyone was, and I could also smell so many scents in the room that I was in. None of it was overwhelming, as I’d been overwhelmed before, but this was different than where I was normally. For one, I was on a ship instead of dry land, and two, I hadn’t been hurt yet, or commanded to do anything, and I’d been able to sleep. Those thoughts were also on my mind, but I didn’t think too long on them, though they lingered a little.

I did my best to clear my mind, to not think about anything, and somehow I was able to do so. It felt weird being out of the routine that I was always in, though in a sense, this was a much better place to be in, though Pops was right, I was still trying to get used to everything here, but that also meant that maybe I’d be able to stay. If I was going to stay, then maybe things would be looking up for me, rather than staying the way that they had stayed.


	3. The Whitebeard Pirates pt. 3

The next day came around, and the ship seemed a bit livelier than it was through the night. I didn't know when I had fallen asleep last night, but somehow I did. I slowly sat up, and yawned. I looked around, and didn't notice the bowl that was in front of me. I pick it up, and slowly eat it, it tasting just as good as the first bowl of food that I was given.

When I finished the bowl of food, I got up, the ship steady as it sailed. I walked towards the door, and opened it, being blinded by the sun. When my eyes got used to it, I slowly walked out, and looked around, seeing a lot of people moving about the ship. It was a bit starling to me to see so many people, and the bad feeling that I always got with a lot of people was starting to come back, and I didn't like it.

I took a few breaths, and tried to calm myself, as I started to walk towards the kitchen to return the bowl. I really wasn't sure what I was going to be doing while I was on the ship, and I wondered if I would be doing anything at all. I did take notice that people were watching me, and I wasn't sure what they were thinking, but it couldn't be anything good, that I was sure of. I didn't look around at the others that were staring, as I didn't want to meet their gazes. Ace was watching me as I walked across the deck, though after a few minutes of watching me, he walked off to another part of the ship.

I found the kitchen easily, as the smell of food coming from it helped to easily identify it. I walked in, and it seemed to be busy, as a few different things were going on. I quickly and easily moved around the kitchen, and put the dirty bowl near a sink. Once I set it down, I quickly left the kitchen, not wanting to stay for too long and possibly get in anyone's way.

Again, I was back out on the deck, and it had only seemed to have gotten busier. I looked around this time, and ended up seeing that it wasn't as busy as I had thought it was. Some people were in groups, just talking. I didn't bother to listen in on their conversations of course, but I could understand that more people must have still been getting up.

After a while of walking around, I ended up where Whitebeards' chair was. I approached it slowly, seeing the uninterested guy, Whitebeard, and the other guy who looked so similar to one of the masters that I'd had. I stopped abruptly in my tracks, nearly tripping over my own feet. I watched them all look over, and without a word, I took off again, running to another part of the ship, one that was free of people. I was breathing a little hard when I leaned against the railing, and I just stared out on the sea. This was going to be more difficult than I had thought, though for now, I would just have to figure out what to do, and especially when I was going to have to confront my fears.

I know what Pops had said, that no one on this ship would hurt me, and if they did, they'd answer to him, but I wasn't entirely sure if that's how it worked on this ship. Too many stories seemed to now rapidly fly around in my mind, and I couldn't get them to stop, same with my masters, they kept flooding my mind as well, both them and their stories starting to combine together, and I didn't like it.

Everything continued to come together, and in the end, I toned everything in and outside me, as I just needed it all to stop. A few minutes had passed by, and it seemed like it would never end. I hadn't noticed someone tapping on my shoulder at all, though when I finally noticed, my mind immediately went to that person, and all the thoughts and memories stopped, at least briefly.

I turn around, and there he was again, the man with the raven hair. I hadn't heard his name, so I didn't know what to say. I immediately tensed up, and wanted to run, but I stayed there, as he seemed to want to say something.

"Pops wants you." He says, smiling, though his smile was kind. "You took off before he could say anything." I nod and look up at him.

"Oh ..." I say, before I quickly take off at a quick pace away from him. Again, he felt almost like Pops did, and maybe that was a good thing, at least that's what I hoped, but at the same time, I wondered if they were hiding those feelings. I didn't even realize that the Raven haired man just watched me go, and when I was out of sight, he walked off to do something else.

He thought that my reaction to him was kind of weird, as no one had really been told anything about me, and that lead them to thinking many different things about me, though a few of them had their suspicions, and yet they were all wrong. None of them really knew what I had gone through, and hopefully I wouldn't have to tell anyone what it was that I had gone through.

(Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I'd gotten busy, and didn't have any time to write. I'll try to get these out as soon as I can, though don't expect them to come out at constant intervals, but I am still alive and writing. I am also sorry, that it's as short as it is, though I hope to have a bit more writing in the next chapters to come.)


	4. A New Beginning

It didn’t take me long to get to where Pops was, the uninterested looking guy seeming to be somewhere else for the time being. I slowly approached him, coming around to the front of his chair, and look up at him. He wasn’t as terrifying as he was when I first saw him, though I was still unsure about him. He still felt the same way, and it was kind of nice, but I still wondered if he was planning anything else. He and the few people that I encountered were difficult to read.

I wasn’t sure about the many other people on the ship, though it was a bit confusing. I could normally read people easily, but then again, all the people that I was usually around were all of the same type of people.

He seemed to be waiting for me to speak, and I tried a few times, though nothing came out. I take a breath, and let it out before I attempt to speak again.

“You … wanted me?” I ask quietly, growing tense, waiting for his answer.

“Yes I did. I know that you are still getting used to being on the ship, and staying with me is fine, though for the time being, since you will be on my ship, I feel that you should have a name, unless you already had one.” He says. I look at him, and shake my head. I’d never had a name. “Hmm … well, is there anything you’d like to be called?” He asks.

I think for a minute, and a memory pops into my mind of a weeping tree that I had seen a long time ago. I was still a child, and I had stumbled upon this tree, it was huge, and its branches swayed in the wind. Its leaves were a bright green, and its limbs almost looked like vines. In the sunlight, it was pretty, as it almost seemed to be lit up. That was the one memory that I liked to think back on, as it was nice, though that was only when I could think clearly, or wasn’t afraid of too many things.

“There was a tree … it looked as though it was sad, its branches were long and blew easily in the wind … I don’t remember the name.” I say, though he seems to know what I was talking about.

After a few minutes, he finally speaks up. “That sounds like a weeping willow tree, if I’m thinking of the ones I’ve seen.” I look at him, and my ears perk up a bit.

“Willow.” I say, my tail moving slightly. “I want to be called Willow.” My eyes lit up only slightly, as I hadn’t actually been given a name before, or at least having given myself a name, and it was a nice feeling.

He chuckled a little when I perked up some. “Then you will be known as Willow.”

I wasn’t sure what to say or do, but I definitely liked him, and I enjoyed being around him, and some of the other people on the ship, even though I didn’t know any of them well. I wondered if maybe I would be allowed to stay, but I would wait to figure that out, and since we weren’t around any stops yet, I still had some time to think about it.

(Authors note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, I've gotten really busy, and haven't had time to update as often as I've wanted to, and I'm sorry that this chapter is short, but I will try to get the story moving a little bit more than it has been, but I had to get a little bit of introduction into this, or else the story wouldn't exactly work. The next chapter will be a little bit better.)


	5. The Island pt. 1

It had been a two weeks since I had gotten a real name, and for the first few couple of days, I didn’t respond to anyone calling my name, though now I had gotten used to it, and I definitely liked it. I was actually enjoying my time on the ship now, as everyone wasn’t as scary as I had believed them to be when I had first seen all of them.

I had started to learn the names of the main people of the ship, and even though I was still a little wary with everyone, I had gotten a lot better than how I used to be.

It was a bright sunny day out, the skies were a brilliant bright blue, not a cloud in sight, and a nice breeze blowing gently against the ship and sails. I stood at the near the front of the ship, the wind being a bit stronger there. I closed my eyes, and just let myself experience the wind. I was definitely enjoying the day, as there weren’t many people where I was, but that was fine by me. I could still hear them around the ship, so that gave me a bit of comfort.

I took a deep breath of fresh salty air, my tail moving some, as my ears went back. Sometimes I wondered if maybe this was a dream, and if it was, I never wanted to wake from it. It was wonderful, and I actually was around nice people. I didn’t care if they were pirates, they were a lot nicer than the people who were on land, considering my past experience with them. I knew that pirates used to be people that lived on the land, but they took to the sea to live the life that they wanted, and it seemed like they were better for it.

I had zoned out, so I didn’t even realize that someone was calling out that we were approaching an island, a small one at that. By the time that I had come to, I realized that there were more people gathered around. I had even forgotten that Whitebeard had been sitting in his chair the entire time. When I saw the island, I felt excited, but at the same time, a little nervous, as Whitebeard had said that I could leave once we made a stop.

My smile faltered some as I saw the island draw near, though I kept it, as I’d had more than enough time to think my decision through, but now, I wasn’t so sure if I was right or not.

It didn’t take too long for us to stop near the island, and exit the ship. Most of the others stayed on the ship, while a few got off, and headed into the small town on the island. I was about to go, when Whitebeard stopped me.

“Willow.” He said, looking at me. I stopped and faced him, wanting to hear what he had to say. “Remember what I said, you are welcome to stay, though you are free to stay on this island if you so desire, it’s up to you.” He says. I nod, and walk off the ship, wanting to walk around the small island for a little while.

It was nice, and quiet, and feeling the grass under my feet never felt better. I did notice, however, that the people one the island that had come out of their shops and homes were staring at me, more than the Whitebeard pirates that were on their island. I felt a little uncomfortable, though I understood if they had never seen someone like me before, though I also knew how fast word traveled.  
I just ignored them, and continued to walk around, seeing the few pirates that had gotten off the ship talking to the shop keepers to get a few more supplies that were needed. I knew that I wasn’t going to go very far, as I was still thinking about the decision that I was going to be making. I knew that I could stay here, though if I did, then I wouldn’t exactly be exploring the sea, and learning new things as I went.

I lost myself a little in thought, continuing to walk around, not having noticed the few murmurs that were going on around me, though the others didn’t exactly seem to hear it, but if I had noticed it, I definitely would have gotten back on the ship.


	6. The Island pt. 2

I wasn’t sure how long the Whitebeard pirates were going to be staying, but I didn’t think that it would be too long, but maybe it would be long enough to wander around, to see if I would want to stay here. Something kept telling me to stay with them, but I was still uncertain about it, even though I know that I shouldn’t have been.

I only snapped out of my daze when I felt something hard hit the ground next to me. I stopped, and looked down, seeing a small stone. I heard giggling, and when I looked to see what it was, I saw that it was just children. I didn’t think anything of it, as I’d seen a few children play, and that’s what I remembered them doing, though if I had turned back a second earlier, I would have seen the way that they looked at me.

Now that I was facing the children, I actually started to look around me, seeing all the people stare at me. It wouldn’t have bothered me much, if their expressions weren’t so cold. I felt a slight chill go down my spine, as I turned around, and started to walk off again, though this time I was more alert, being careful where I walked. A few more stones hit the ground next to me, with one of them hitting me. I knew what to take that as, but I wasn’t about to tuck my tail between my legs and run, I had done that too much already, and I wasn’t about to go back into that habit again.

I eventually made my way a little ways away from the village, to a slight cliff. I sat down, letting my legs dangle over the side of it. A slight wind was blowing, and I watched the water being pushed by the wind. If I stayed here, I would have to go into the forests nearby, and even then, I wasn’t sure what was there, and with the way that the people were looking at me, I didn’t think that I wanted to stay here. The urge to stay with Whitebeard was still there, and I knew that I didn’t want to leave. I still couldn’t understand why I’d want to even leave. They treated me better than anyone I’d ever been around, and I was happy there. I started to get up, watching the sea, a small smile on my face. I was an idiot to even think about leaving.

As I turned around, I saw a small group of the children that I had seen before, and a few adults. I realized that I shouldn’t have let my guard down as much as I had, considering that I had known that the villagers here didn’t seem to like me. I guess that I was still trying to get used to everything, though the ship was when I could actually let my guard down, not all the way, but most of the way.

I watched all of them, as the children had a stone in each hand, and what seemed to be a bag of them at their sides. As for the adults, one of them had what looked like a muzzle, while the other two looked ready to capture me. I knew that I needed to get away from them, though I couldn’t go backwards.

I quickly looked away from them, noticing that all of the Whitebeard pirates weren’t on the island, though the boat was still there. I made a quiet noise and looked back at the people, my ears going down.

“A creature like you isn’t getting away that easily.” One of the adults say, as the children start throwing their stones. The stones were sharp, and they hurt, though all I did was bring my arms up to shield my face. I took a hesitant step back, and I could feel half of my foot sticking off the cliff. I dug the claws of my foot into the ground, and realized that I couldn’t feel the stones anymore. My breathing was already speeding up, and when I took another breath, I realize how close they’d gotten to me. I tried to quickly lower my arms, but they were grabbed, and I was thrown to the ground.

I struggled in their grasp, my fear and panic not helping. I tried to pull my arms away from them, and I did get them away, but I was panicking, not even thinking straight. Everything seemed to be happening so slowly, and I was trying to think of someone to call, but no names came to mind.

Soon enough, I could feel the muzzle start to go around my mouth. Before it could go around fully, I just let out a noise that was cut short as the muzzle was put over my mouth, muffling any other noise that I was attempting to make.

I had closed my eyes, as I had already seemed to give up, but it was only because I had been put into situations like this multiple times before. The children ran off, while the adults picked me up, and started to carry me off somewhere, before they instantly stopped as another pair of footsteps walked right up to them. As the breeze continued to blow, I caught the scent of someone familiar, and I hoped that I wasn’t just imagining it.


	7. The Island pt. 3

“I hope that you don’t intend on doing anything with Willow.” Ace says, smirking. “I can assure you that they aren’t a creature.”

I knew that I was right when he spoke, though I wasn’t sure how the people would take to him, considering that he was with the Whitebeard pirates, and I had seen how the people had watched them, though they treated them like people, though I was the only one that was treated like I wasn’t even a person. I had new clothes that weren’t rags, and I dressed like a person, so I wasn’t sure how these people couldn’t see me as that.

I could feel the people shaking some, and when I opened my eyes, I could see that they weren’t even going to try and move anywhere. I wondered why they were all acting like this. I knew that the Whitebeard pirates were strong, from the few stories I had been told and overheard, though what I had failed to realize, was that they all had powers, as I hadn’t seen any in action yet, as everything had been calm, and we hadn’t encountered anyone on the sea since I had been on board.

“Even so, why do you care, it doesn’t bare the mark of Whitebeard.” They retort back, not even caring that they were dealing with Ace. They were right that I didn’t have the mark of Whitebeard, but that was only because I hadn’t joined yet.

Ace just shook his head and laughed some. “Well, you are attacking a member of the crew, she just doesn’t have the symbol yet.” He pauses. “And if you set her down, I won’t think about burning the three of you.” My ears go back when he says that, as he looked angry. I hadn’t expected him to come and help me, or any of the others, as I didn’t think that anyone had seen me wander off, though I guess that Ace must have been paying attention.

After a few minutes, the adults set me down, with one quickly taking the muzzle off. They made their way back towards their houses, leaving the two of us alone. I made a quiet noise, though I slowly pushed myself to my knees. When I looked up, Ace had held his hand out to me, though he was smiling. My ears went back, and I hesitantly took his hand.

“Don’t worry about those people, they just don’t get someone like you. I think that they’re just jealous.” He laughs. I just tilt my head some and give him a weird look, not sure why he would say something like that, though it did make me feel better. I wasn’t sure what to say to Ace, but I was thankful that he had helped me. I wouldn’t have been able to get free, but thankfully I wasn’t panicking anymore. I knew that I was going to have to get that under control at some point, but it would take a lot of work. I had started to become lost in my thoughts, when someone from the ship yelled.

“Ace! Willow! Get your butts back on the ship or we’ll leave you behind!” That snapped me out of my thoughts. Ace just shook his head and laughed.

“Come on, let’s get going.” He says, starting to walk. I immediately follow after him, as I knew that I wanted to stay. It was strange that I had ever wanted to leave the ship, and not continue on with them. It still felt strange to be around people that liked me, but I liked it a lot. I still had a lot of things to learn, and there were so many things that I was unfamiliar with, but that was alright, as that didn’t scare me.

Once we get back on the ship, they immediately set sail again. Ace continued walking over to where Whitebeard was, while I stopped and turned, facing the island as we left it. If I hadn’t been with this crew, I wouldn’t have made it out this far, and I probably wouldn’t have left the island, though if I did, I’d be swimming for a long period again.

Once I lose sight of the island, which doesn’t take too long, I turn, and start to head where Whitebeard is. I notice Thatch, Marco and Ace standing near his chair.

“It seems that you’ve decided to stay.” Whitebeard says, a smile on his face. I nod, my tail moving a little bit behind me, my ears perking up some.

I nod, and smile. “And this time, it won’t be until the next stop.” I say, as Whitebeard laughs, happy with my decision. I was also happy with it, as they all made me feel as if I belonged with them.

“Welcome to the crew.” Whitebeard says, as I hear a few cheers around the ship. I hadn’t expected people to want me to stay, but now that I was on the crew, I was going to wear his mark with pride, and I was going to prove that I was stronger than I looked.


	8. Ace's Power

It had only been a few days since we left the island, and I was enjoying my time on the ship. Once everything calmed down, after everyone welcomed me to the crew, I started to work on my own way of wearing Whitebeard’s symbol. I knew that I couldn’t have it tattooed on me, since it wouldn’t stay, so I decided to make myself a band to put on my right arm. I asked for a few supplies, and got right to work on it. With how fast I normally work, I got it done within a couple of hours. I had been sitting down and watching the flag, to make sure that I was going to get the symbol right. I put it on, and smiled, as I liked it. The band that I had made wasn’t slipping off my arm, and I had figured out a way to keep it firmly attached to my arm so that I wouldn’t lose it.

I had a vest like shirt on, so I didn’t have any sleeves that would cover up the symbol, though I had also made a bandana that I could put on my head, in case I was wearing something that covered my arm. It hadn’t taken me too long to make either of them, though I had had put the bandana into the pocket of the shorts that I was wearing, making sure that it was in there, and wouldn’t fall out. 

Whitebeard approved of the band on my arm, though I had sat where he could see me, as that was where I could normally be found. I was definitely becoming more relaxed, the more time that I spent on the ship.

Since I was done with what I wanted to do, I decided to walk around the ship. I wasn’t sure who I would bump into, but I wanted to find Ace. I’d heard many others on the ship call him Fire Fist, and I wanted to know why they called him that. I’d heard it a few times around the ship when I was actually paying attention to what everyone was saying, and now I wanted to know why. Ace had a unique scent, as did everyone else, but his scent faintly smelled of fire. I hadn’t really paid too much attention to his scent, at least not until recently. Marco’s also smelled of fire too, but it was different from Ace’s. Either way, Ace’s scent stood out enough for me to be able to find him on the ship.

I found him on the second level of the platforms above Whitebeard’s room. I made my way up there, as it seems that Thatch had just gotten done talking to him.

“Hey Ace.” I say, walking towards him. He turns to me and smiles.

“Willow, what’s up?” He asks. I stop next to him, before I hop onto the railing, and sit.

“Why do they call you Fire First Ace?” I pause. “I know that almost everyone on the ship has an interesting name, but why is yours that?” I ask, as I was going to leave the ‘smelling like fire’ comment out of the conversation for a minute.

Ace smiles. “I guess you don’t know about that then. Here, let me show you, though you might want to hang onto the railing, it won’t be my fault if you fall off.”

I nod, and hold onto the railing, careful not to dig my claws into it. Ace took a few steps back, and held out his hand, which almost immediately caught on fire. I watched, as I had never expected that. The flames then spread from his hand, to his whole body, and yet he wasn’t burning. He stopped after a few minutes, and laughed at my shocked expression. I was pretty close to falling off the railing, though I somehow managed not to. I couldn’t speak for a few minutes, as I was processing what I had just seen.

“How did you … what was that … just … how?” I ask, looking at him, interested in how he was able to do that and not get burned by his flames, or burn things that he stood on.

Ace laughed a bit. “I ate something called a Devil Fruit. Not too much is known about these fruits, as they give you a special ability or power, though after you eat one, the ocean becomes one of your worst enemies same with standing water. You won’t be able to swim after you eat one, as seas water drains you, making your ability useless.”

I nod, understanding what he was saying. “So you also smelling like fire made a lot of sense.” Ace gave me a weird look.

“What? I smell like fire?”

I nod. “Well, to me at least. Everyone on this ship has their own unique scent, though there are very few people on the ship that smell just a little different from others.” I pause. “If I could smell your ability, would it be possible for me to smell others? If they were obvious enough though.” I say, as I kept thinking back to Marco. “Does Marco also have a fire ability?” I watched Ace, as he seemed a little shocked, but he nodded. “I could smell his too, though his fire smell isn’t like yours.” I pause. “It’s kind of hard to explain, but his fire smells lighter than yours.” I could still see that Ace was confused, and it was just something that was difficult to explain.

Ace thinks for a second. “Is there something unique about Pops’ scent?” I think for a second, but I do remember that it did smell a bit earthy, though with some salt mixed in, though I just took the salt smell as the wind blowing off the water, though it mixed with the earthy smell.

I nod. “It’s almost like a dirt smell with salt, though the salt could just be from the ocean.” I say with a shrug.

“That’s still a pretty interesting talent though, I’ve never heard of anyone who sense or even smell the ability that a devil fruit user has. That’s an interesting talent.”

I smile, and rub the back of my head. “I kind of didn’t even know I could do that.” I laugh a bit. “But that’s a really cool power though, dealing with fire. I didn’t know people could do things like that until now … though with what I’ve been through … it’s really easy to miss things like that.” I pause, my ears going back. When I realize that I had started to think about the past, I quickly snap out of it, and lighten up again. “But don’t worry about that, I’ll just keep learning things along the way. Thanks for showing me Ace.” I say, as I hop backwards off the railing, and land on the main section of the ship, walking off to the front of the ship, knowing that Marco and Whitebeard would be interested in knowing the talent that I have, just so that way if I ever mentioned it, that it wouldn’t come as a shock to them.

Ace watched me go, as he now wondered what other talents I possessed. He knew that if I was able to do that, there were other things that I was able to do as well.

Marco and Pops reacted the way that I thought they would. Marco lost the uninterested and bored look on his face, while Pops was more interested in my ability, though I was sure that both of them were glad that I had told them. When they explained to me what their powers were, I completely understood the scents that I had gotten off them, as it made a lot of sense.

I knew that things were only going to get more interesting from here on out.


	9. The Marine Ships pt. 1

The day was starting off pretty well, despite it being a slightly dark and cloudy day. It had been about a week, and we hadn’t come across another island or ship as of yet, though that was alright with me. Over the week, I had asked everyone around the ship to help me learn to fight, and I was getting pretty good at it. I was able to best a few of the people on board, though I was still having a bit of trouble fighting both Marco and Ace. That was alright though, as I knew it was going to take me a while to beat them, but at least I was getting stronger, and I was enjoying the fights.

I told them to not take it easy on me, as I was a fast healer. I’d already gotten a few wounds while fighting, but they were easily healed once I was given a short break from fighting. Of course there were cheers and laughter around us as I we fought. I was starting to develop my own fighting style, as Marco and Ace were both fighting me. I had gotten hit a few times, but I was able to also get my own hits in, as well as having Ace and Marco attack each other except for me. I was enjoying this a lot, though while most of the people on the ship were distracted by the fighting, most didn’t even notice the approaching Marine ships.

When we finally noticed them, they had gotten pretty close, and they were approaching from the sides. Of course they were big, but they weren’t as big as the Moby Dick. Before they could get any closer, many of the crew rushed to both sides of ship, as they jumped off, landing on the two ships, fighting with the Marines that were on the ships. Ace and Marco stayed on the ship near Pops, as there were plenty of people on the ship that were capable of taking down two Marine ships. I watched everyone fight, finding it amazing, as I hadn’t seen the entire crew fight together.

It didn’t take too long for the Marines to be defeated, and they didn’t even fire any shots at the ship. The crew slowly made their way back onto the ship, the two Marine ships backing off. I figured that taking on a few Marine ships was an easy task for this crew, as the Marines needed a lot more power to get rid of them. Everyone cheered as they backed off, a slight wind blowing from the other direction. When it did, I caught a scent that was very similar to the Marine ships that had just arrived. I ran to the railing, and smelled the breeze again.

The scent was so strong, and I knew that there had to be of them coming. One scent stuck out more than the others, and I knew that the ship had to be a lot bigger than the others, because it smelled very strongly of gunpowder, while the others had a weaker scent. I turn back to the others, and make my way back over. We still had some time before they arrived, but it was better to be prepared.

“There are more ships coming! And there’s a much large ship that’s with them. I can’t tell how many there are, but there’s going to be a lot more than two.” I say, as everyone listens to me. I wasn’t panicking, but I was glad that everyone had heard me. Thatch was already off somewhere else, and everyone was spreading out around the ship, Marco and Ace staying near Pops, as I did the same. I wouldn’t be any use on the Marine ships fighting, as I would only get in the way, so I figured that I could be of some use where I was.

Sure enough, from the distance a total of six Marine ships showed up, with a much large ship in the middle, it leading the rest of the ships. Rain slowly started to fall from the sky, before it slowly began to get steady. I shook off the rain, even though it wasn’t going to help, but I kept an eye on the ships, seeing the large cannons in the front of the smaller ships, while the middle one possessed a slightly large cannon in the center. I knew that there was going to be some trouble, but we could handle it. Ace and Marco definitely could do some damage if they needed to, but they were going to stand back and wait, as the rest of the crew was getting ready to attack.

The Marine ships stopped a little ways away, before they started to aim their cannons. The middle ship aimed theirs just a little higher than the others, though I wondered what damage that cannon would do.

The order to fire was given, and the smaller ships all fired. A few of the cannon balls hit the ship, while others hit the water near the ship. Ace and Marco got ready, as Marco traded his arms for wings, and his legs became that of a birds. Marco flew up a little ways. Ace moved a little bit as well, though he made his hands look like guns, and got ready, as it looked like the large cannon was aiming more for the front of the ship where Pops sat, rather than where the other cannons were aiming.

A loud bang is heard as the cannon goes off, multiple cannon balls heading towards the ship much faster than the smaller ships’. I watched, my eyes wide as the cannon balls headed straight for the ship. Ace and Marco were doing a pretty good job getting rid of most of them, as all of them were hitting at different times, despite their speed. Even though Ace and Marco were doing their best, a few of them got past them. None of them even came close to hitting Pops, but I was on my guard now, moving a bit closer to him, staying off to the side some.

There was another loud bang as the big ship fired off another round. Ace and Marco had only just gotten done dealing with the one batch that had been sent their way, and now they had to deal with another.

“Marco! Deal with them, I’ll destroy the ship!” Ace yelled, starting to run to the front of the ship. He didn’t get too far before the cannon balls started hit the front of the ship, and make their way back. Marco was doing the best that he could, but without Ace being there, it wasn’t as easy. Ace turned around to go back and help, when a cannon ball went flying past both Marco and Ace, heading straight for Pops. Even though he could handle himself, I just couldn’t stand there and do nothing.

I growled, and launched myself at the cannon ball. I hit it hard enough that it moved away from Pops, though only enough not to hit him. It slammed me into the wall that was a little ways behind Pops. I let out a quiet yell, as cracks could be heard coming from me, a bit of blood coming from my mouth as I hit the wall. I slid down not too long after, having a little trouble breathing.

“Willow!” Ace yells. Ace clenches his fists together, both of them catching on fire as he starts to walk back to the front of the ship to do what he had set out to do before I had gotten hit.

While I laid there, the one thought that kept going through my mind, was ‘those people tried to hurt Pops, the one person that I care a lot about.’ I cared about Ace and the others on the ship, though Pops was the one person that I cared for the most, and I wasn’t about to let anyone hurt him.


	10. The Marine Ships pt. 2

(Authors note: Just wanted to give everyone a warning from here on out. There will be times and possibly some chapters that will be a bit violent, in the near future, but this one will be a bit violent, though it was for a good reason. I won't put senseless violence in my story if I don't need it, but in this instance, this was the first time that my character has genuinely cared about something that she doesn't want to lose. That's why she is the way she is in this chapter.)

I was in a semi-conscious state, the thought of making sure that no one hurt Pops running constantly through my mind, as well as the fact that someone almost did hurt him. I had never been as angry as I was at this very moment, and I wanted to hurt those that had tried to hurt him.

When I finally opened my eyes, I didn’t exactly feel like myself, I felt different. I didn’t notice that my eyes were just pure ocher, and my mouth had become a smaller snout as well, though not enough that it didn’t take away from the way that I looked. I let out a low growl, before I slowly got up, using the cannon ball as I way to help me up. I then pushed the cannon ball easily to get it off my tail. I was beyond furious, as red started to form around my vision. All I focused on was the Marine ship, and the people on it.

My tail flicked angrily behind me, my ears were down, and my fangs were bared. I let out a very loud howl that echoed from the ship, as all the activity below seemed to stop. Even Ace and Marco turned around, as the cannon ball assault had stopped. I couldn’t see the shocked looks on their faces, though I didn’t pay any attention to them as I took a few steps forward, the dried blood on my lower jaw only adding to the appearance and demeanor that I had now.

Without any warning, I took off running towards the railing. When I got close to it, I jumped onto it, before jumped off and towards the giant ship. I made it, landing on the cannon. I ran down the cannon, and jumped onto the main deck. I was so angry that the red was starting to close in around my eyes.

All the Marines on the ship looked at me, before firing their weapons. I just stood there and let the bullets hit me, just growling. I then slowly started walking forward, and even though I don’t touch anyone, a few of the Marines around me start falling over. I wanted to go after the captain of the ship.

After a while, just causing them to fall wasn’t enough. I jumped to the main mast, and started to climb it, looking around. A few of the Marines that I had knocked out were now starting to come around, and when they saw me, they fired at me again, hitting me. I look at them, before I push myself off the main mast, and land near them. This time, instead of knocking them unconscious, I claw at them, making deep wounds where I hit them. I make sure that they have a couple deep wounds, before I go back to searching the ship.

Ace, Marco, and Whitebeard were all at the railing now, watching me. None of them could believe what they were seeing, as they all knew what I was like, but this was the complete opposite of me. 

Before I could even get any further into the ship, the rest of the Marines from three of the ships next to the one I was on, came aboard quickly, and surrounded me. I stopped and looked around at everyone. Before I can even start attacking, I hear laughter above me.

“Well you’re something interesting, I’ll give you that. I don’t know what you are, but you aren’t going to be leaving this ship any time soon.” He says. I look up and growl. I try to go to jump, but one of the Marines hit me hard in the stomach with the butt of their gun. I look right at them, quickly grab their head, and head butt them. They yell and fall back, holding their head. Many of the group fall on me, doing their best to hold me down. I struggled against them, but I broke free, throwing them off of me.

Without any warning, I start to claw my way through the large group of Marines, dealing with them just fine on my own. I did get shot a few more times, though I took those people out quickly. Soon enough, most of the Marines were lying on the deck, while the last few backed away. I wasn’t about to let them get away, so I lunged at the rest of them, easily leaving deep claw marks, and bite marks to one of them. I turned and faced the captain of the ship, the Whitebeard crew had taken down the other two ships, and they saw that I had everything taken care of, so they went back to the ship, though they were now watching, wondering how I was able to do that on my own.

The captain looked at me, frowning slightly, as he hops down from where he was landing a few feet away from me, a unique looking sword hanging from his right side. He looked at me, before he drew it. Ace was very close to jumping off the ship and coming to my aid, when Marco grabbed him, as he didn’t want Ace to get in the way of whatever was going to happen, and it seemed like I had things pretty much under control considering that I had practically taken down four Marine ships on my own.

“I’ll make sure that you don’t leave my ship alive.” He says, unsheathing his sword, it almost seeming to be a gun as well, though it seemed a little strange. He held the sword like a gun, and when he pulled the trigger, the top of the sword fell away, to reveal a small hole. A bullet shot out of it, hitting me in the arm. The captain smiled a bit, as he continued to fire off a few rounds, hitting me precisely. Thinking that he had wounded me badly, as I had stepped back every shot, he charged at me, the sword back to normal.

Bringing his sword up, he was ready to attack me. I just looked at him, as I caught his sword with one hand before it could even hit my head. I gripped it tightly with my hand, the sharpened steel drawing even more blood from me. His eyes went wide, as I hit him hard in the chest, sending him flying back, his grip loosening on the unique weapon. I bring the weapon in front of me, and snap it into two piece, and then I snap the two pieces again, breaking the weapon into four. I throw the broken pieces away from me, as I slowly walk towards him. He was ready to fight, though hand to hand would do him no good.

Once I got close enough, I quickly put one hand on the deck, and kicked both my feet up. I swung one of them around, and hit him, sending him flying into a wall. I then got back up, and lunged at him, sinking my claws into his shoulder. He let out a pained yell, trying to get my claws out from his arm. I snarl, and grab his other arm, gripping it a bit tightly, hearing a slight crack.

“Never mess with Whitebeard.” I say a bit darkly, my words not seeming as clear as they would be, but at least he understood what I said. I use conqueror’s haki again, and this time he faints. I let him go, and he falls to the deck, unconscious, and bleeding only slightly.

I was now starting to come down from the state that I had been in, all of it a blur now. I stumbled a little bit, before I fell over, being unconscious from using up so much energy.

“Willow!” Ace yells, this time no one stops him, as he quickly made his way over to the Marine’s ship. He runs right over the fainted Marines, and over to me. He picks me up, wondering what had just happened. Ace’s bottom half became flame, and he flew right back over to the ship. The ships medic took me to be checked out and patched up. The entire crew was silent, watching me as I went.


	11. The Meeting

It had only been a couple of hours since the fight with the Marines, and since I had been brought back on board to be checked out. By that time, the entire ship had left the Marines far behind, of course with a few toasted boats that were just husks, and weren’t any good for sailing.

The crew had been quiet since I had come back on board, as questions and rumors spread quickly, though no one was holding anything against me, considering that the Marines weren’t always the good guys, though only Whitebeard, Marco, and Ace were the witnesses to what happened, even if they weren’t exactly sure what had just happened, though they were going to wait for me to wake up and be fully conscious before they even talked with me.

They were all out on the main deck, Whitebeard sitting in his chair, while Ace and Marco stood before him. The rest of the crew was off doing something else, a few of them checking in on me from time to time, making sure that I was alright, as well as to let the medic of the ship know when I woke up.

The three of them were confused, as Marco and Ace hadn’t exactly seen me change, but Whitebeard had, though he was still a little confused himself. Everyone had heard pretty clearly what I had told the captain of the Marine ship, and of course that was something that everyone knew, but somehow, it seemed to have some sort of a different meaning, coming from me.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw. She was down one minute, and the next she got up, and pushed the cannon ball away as if it was nothing.” Whitebeard said, looking at the two of them.

Ace nodded. “For a second, I wasn’t even sure if that … thing … was Willow. It wasn’t like her at all … though it’s interesting to know that she possesses haki, and a strong form at that. I didn’t think that she’d ever be able to take on four Marine ships on her own, but she did.”

Marco continued to listen, though he felt a little uneasy. “You two seem to know her a little better than anyone else, as she seems to be around the two of you a lot more. Do you have any idea what may have set her off?” He asks, though he also wasn’t sure about the thing that I was, as I was pretty dangerous when I got like that, though that was the first time something like that had ever happened to me, as I wasn’t able to ever get that angry before, or really angry at all.

Whitebeard thinks for a minute. “I could have defended myself from the cannon ball, but Willow jumped in, and kept it from hitting me. I’m not sure what she was thinking, or if she was thinking at all, but I didn’t think that she’d be able to get up after that. It had done some damage to her.”

Marco thought for a minute, and spoke. “So … what if that happens again?” Ace and Pops look at him, as they hadn’t gotten that far just yet. “I know that this time it was a Marine ship and the Marines on those ships, but what if that was because that’s all she saw. Who’s to say that the next time that happens, if it ever does, that she won’t go after you, or any of us on this ship? Sure we could probably take her down, but it would cost us a lot of people to do that, and who’s to say that she wouldn’t be able to cause even more damage than that-”

Ace cuts Marco off. “Don’t start thinking like that. There has to be an explanation. And don’t start thinking that Willow is a monster, because she is far from it. You’ve seen how she is normally. Start thinking that she’s a monster, and the rest of the crew will too.”

Whitebeard sighed. “Marco, Ace is right. But that explanation won’t be coming until she wakes up, so until then, there is nothing more to say on the matter. All we have to do is wait, and I’m sure that the answer will come around soon enough. Now, make sure that the others don’t start thinking that way. Willow is part of the crew, and I won’t have everyone on it thinking like that.”

Ace and Marco nod, as they walk off, finding others around the ship to talk to.

(Authors note: Sorry that this one was so short, but I wanted to have a few people talk about what happened, and since they were the main witnesses, it makes sense. Also, the topic of her haki will come up later, as her beast side is what the main point of the meeting is about.)


	12. Willow's Confession

It's been days since we had left the Marine ships behind, and I had finally started to stir and wake up, completely unaware of what I had done, and what I became when I got that angry. I was completely clueless about what had actually happened, as all I remembered was getting hit with a fast moving cannon ball, and passing out.

It took me a little bit to actually open my eyes, as I was comfortable and warm where I was. I almost didn’t even want to wake up. Eventually I did open my eyes, and I slowly sat up. I was a bite sore, but that’s alright, as I was expecting that. When I looked up, I saw the medic of the ship. He came over, and did a few tests to make sure that I was alright before he walked off. When I looked at where the bandages were, I realized that there were a few more bandages than there should have been, and I was a little confused by them, though I didn’t say anything. I had a feeling that it was better for me to continue waking up, so that I could see the others. I hoped that everyone was alright.

I could see that there was light coming in through the door that the medic had left in, though with how bright it was, it could have either been early morning, or evening, but I would have to go outside to see it. I ended up losing myself in my thoughts, them being of the people I had met on the crew, and how nice they all were.

While I was zoned out, I hadn’t even noticed Ace walk in, and sit down on the bed. It was only when he tapped my shoulder that I jumped slightly, and looked at him, smiling. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks, though I can tell that there’s something else he wants to say.

“I’m a bit sore, but that’s to be expected, I did get slammed into a wall by a very fast moving cannon ball.” I say, laughing a bit. Ace gave me an odd look, though he didn’t press it.

“Did we beat the Marines?” I ask, looking at him. He nods, though his expression falters some. I tilt my head, though I don’t question it, as I’m sure that he would tell me if something was up.

“Yeah … we … well, you kind of showed them … we only took out the two ships that we were on, you took out the rest.” He says, and I just look at him. I wasn’t sure what to say, and it almost sounded like he was making it up. I wasn’t sure if I could even believe it, there was absolutely no way that I could have taken the ships out on my own.

He sighs. “Whitebeard would like to talk to you.” He says. My ears go back, as I didn’t remember doing anything like that, but it would definitely account for some of the extra bandages if I had. I slowly get off the bed when he does, and I follow him out from inside the ship, and up onto the deck. When I emerge with Ace, I look around and see a lot of the crew stopping and staring at me, almost as if they felt better keeping their distance from me. I made a quiet noise, but continued to follow after Ace, keeping my head down, and my ears back, even though I could hear people whispering about something that had happened, and I was sure that it was something that had to do with me.

It didn’t take us too long to get to Whitebeard’s chair, but when we did, I looked up to see a lot of the crew gathered around, while Marco stood next to Whitebeard, his expression seeming to be more angry than bored. I looked around at the others, and saw that their expressions were both angry and confused, but Whitebeard and Ace’s expressions were the only two that I trusted at this point. Ace didn’t move away from me like others had, so that definitely helped me.

“Willow, I’m sure that Ace has said what happened a few days ago?” Whitebeard asks. I nod, staying silent, my ears back. We were a few feet away from him, but at the moment, I felt small.

“He told me that … I took down a few Marine ships … but … I don’t …” I pause. “I don’t know … how … I don’t remember any of it …” I felt like I was trying to explain myself, for something that I don’t even remember doing, and it didn’t feel right.

Whitebeard’s expression softened even more, and I heard Ace let out a small sigh of relief, though I could hear the others starting to mumble and talk amongst themselves. Marco seemed to not want to have anything to do with this.

Even though everyone seemed uneasy, Marco finally spoke up. “And what if she becomes that thing again? The crew could be in trouble!” He yells, and I shrink down a bit. Marco looks at me. “I don’t know what you became, but you took down four Marine ships without our help!” Whitebeard now looked angry, though he wasn’t stopping Marco, as he knew that Marco was only looking out for everyone else. “You made them all pass out, and you were like a monster as you tore through them! This happened after you got hit! So what happens if you turn into that thing again, the entire crew could be in danger!” He yells, starting to walk towards me.

I wasn’t sure what to do, though Marco stops when Ace gives him a look. “Marco, enough. I’ve thought about this, and I don’t think that she would ever harm the crew … because I know that we must have been the first things she saw.” Marco seems to understand what Ace is saying, though he isn’t convinced. 

“And your point? If she was able to get up and walk after the cannon ball had crushed her, as well as fight and take down that many ships on her own, what would you call her?”

I just watch the two of them, though I just wanted them to stop. I move in between Ace and Marco, looking at the two of them. “STOP IT!” I yell. “Stop it right now! I don’t care what I was or what I did! I made sure that no one else had to get hurt right?! And I kept Pops from getting hit with the cannon ball, that’s all that matters right?” I say quickly, looking between the two of them.

After I spoke, everyone realized that they had been thinking about what I had become, rather than who I was. I liked being part of the crew, and I didn’t want anything to happen to them.

I looked at Whitebeard who was smiling. He had also been watching me and he had thought about the events that had happened, and he believed that he had it figured out. “All you want to do is make sure that no one gets hurt right?” He asks, looking at me.

I nod. “Especially not you …” I pause. “I like being on this crew … I feel like I belong here, because everyone makes me feel like I do … and I wouldn’t want to lose this crew.” I say. Whitebeard smiles, and reaches forward, patting my head.

“I didn’t think that you’d ever go against us, but thank you.” He sits back in his chair, smiling. My ears perk up, as my tail wags a bit. I then lunge forward and hug his leg, smiling, thankful that he knew that I would never turn against them. 

Whitebeard laughed, and Marco walked over. “Willow … I’m sor-” Before Marco could even finish, I turned around and ended up hugging him as well. I could understand his anger, but I didn’t mind it. “It’s okay.” I say, and let him go. “We’ll figure this out.” I could feel everyone around me relax, and it definitely felt much better on the ship.

I wasn’t sure how we were going to figure this out, but we were going too eventually.


	13. Luffy and Teach Get Introduced

A few weeks had gone by, and we hadn’t encountered any other ships, though we had found another place to stop for a little while. There, I was able to handle myself a lot better, as I was getting stronger as I trained with Ace and others on the ship. I was getting better at fighting, and I enjoyed just being around them, as it was like having a really weird but large family. Some nights, I would have bad dreams, either about my past, or about the time that I turned monstrous.

I was still nervous about becoming that thing again, as I had started to remember it through dreams that I would have, though those dreams didn’t really come to me much.

It was a nice sunny day, and the mail birds had just dropped off the paper. As everyone gathered around to hear the news of the world, Ace pulled something out of the newspaper, handing the paper over to Thatch. After a second, Ace laughed and raised a wanted poster. “That’s my little brother!” A few of the others crowded around Ace, looking at the poster as well. I tilted my head some, as Ace had never before mentioned that he had a little brother. Once everyone moved away from him, I walked over, and looked at the wanted poster.

I saw someone very similar looking to Ace, though I didn’t think that this person was his brother. I give Ace a slightly weird look, though I was more curious about this little brother. “You have a little brother?” I ask, looking at him.

Ace nods, “Yeah, guess he got his own crew.” Ace seemed pretty happy about that.

I looked back at the wanted poster, and I couldn’t believe that this kid was a captain. He didn’t seem like a captain at all, he seemed way too happy, but if he was Ace’s brother, I wanted to know more about him. “What’s he like?”

“Ah Luffy, well, he’s high spirited, persistent, and he eats a lot.” Ace laughs some. I smile a little bit, as he sounded a little like Ace.

“Well, I’d like to meet him one day.” I say, my tail moving slightly, as it would be pretty cool to meet someone related to Ace.

Ace laughed and smiled. “The next time that I head out on my Striker to go do something, you can tag along with me. I don’t know if we’ll find ‘em while we’re out, but if we do, then you can meet them.” My tail wagged a little more, and my ears seemed to perk up some.

“Even if we don’t find them, it’ll still be nice to be with you.” I say, and walk off to just move around the ship.

As it became evening, I headed down to the galley to get something to eat. It was packed, and I didn’t mind taking food and eating it on deck. As I walked around, I saw a large person sitting at a table by himself. Something stuck with me, that I didn’t like about him. He was eating cherry pies, a few of his teeth were missing, and his beard was the darkest I’d seen on the ship. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I didn’t like him. As I backed up to turn around and leave the galley, my apatite having gone with seeing this person, I bumped into someone. When I turned around, it was Ace.

“Hey Willow.” He says, smiling. He had noticed that I was staring at Teach and decided that if I wasn’t going to walk over and talk, that he’d help. He wanted to talk to Teach anyway. “I see you were interested in Teach?” He asks, before he put a hand on my back, and gently pushed me towards the table. I gave in, and walked over, feeling a little better with Ace being there. Once we got to the table, I sat down opposite Teach, while Ace sat down next to him. A felt a shiver go down my spine when Teach looked at me.

“Zehahaha.” He laughed happily. “Good job on takin’ out all those Marine ships. You’re something else.” I smiled a little bit, though it was only because I was trying to hide my discomfort. “You’re Willow right?” He asked, extending a hand to me. I reached out one of my hands, his enveloping mine. He shook it once, before letting go. “I’m Marshall D. Teach, but you can just call me Teach.” He laughed again and went back to eating his pies. I wasn’t sure what to say to him, though I didn’t exactly talk too much around anyone but Ace and Pops, but I was starting to get better with others around the ship.

I tried to keep my ears as relaxed as I possibly could, though that was proving to be a little difficult. “Well … you could come spar with me, if you want?” I say, and instantly regretted saying it.

Teach laughed again. “Ace here seems to be teachin’ you quite a lot I’d say. You’ve gotten stronger since you began to train, and you’ve picked up things even faster than some of the others have. You’ve got a sharp mind.” I couldn’t understand why something told me to keep my distance from him. He didn’t seem so bad, and there wasn’t anything about him that was threatening.

“Alright, thanks.” I say smiling. I stayed down in the galley, sitting and listening to Teach and Ace talk. I became a bit more relaxed, though I never lost that tenseness. I finally decided to get up, and go back to the deck. The sun had already started to set, giving the ocean an interesting orange purple color. The deck seemed pretty empty, as most people were below deck eating or just talking. A slight breeze blew, and I felt a little better. I continued to walk around the ship to where Whitebeard’s chair was. I stayed a little in front of it, before I sat down, just staring out at the large open sea. I hadn’t even noticed that Whitebeard was still in his chair.

“Something on your mind?” He asks. I didn’t turn to look at him, but I knew that he didn’t mind that.

“Is instinct ever wrong?” I could feel him giving me a strange look, but he answered anyway.

“Maybe, though don’t ever doubt yours on the sea, it could get you killed.” He paused. “Any reason you bring that up?”

I shake my head. “Not really, I just thought that maybe you’d have a better answer for my question.” I say a bit quietly, as I continued to sit with Whitebeard, and watch as the sun set on the sea.”


	14. Willow and Haki?

A few days had passed, and I was continuing to learn and spar at an amazing rate. I could pick up things pretty quickly, and that was a very useful skill. Finally, one day while Ace and I were sparing, Marco and Whitebeard watching, Ace suggested something.

“How about we try to work on your Haki? That would be a good thing to learn.” Ace said.

“Alright, I’m ready to learn, just tell me what to do.” I say, standing up, and keeping a slightly relaxed stance.

“Well, that might be a little difficult to do, but I can only explain it, as it’s a power within that when released, can overpower your foes, and make fights easier.” I nod. “But for now, you may have to focus on it a bit more than you would when you were in that state.”

I shuddered slightly when Ace mentioned the monster state, though when I thought back to the dreams that I had, I could almost see what he was talking about, though I didn’t know exactly how I was going to be able to do that, but I was going to try.

I did my best to concentrate, and I thought that maybe it was working, but it didn’t seem to be able to be working. Of course, besides being able to hear a lot of people on the ship, it was almost as if I could feel them, though that wasn’t exactly new. I’d had that ability most of my life, though I didn’t realize that it was another type of Haki.

As I continued to focus and try to use the Haki that Ace had done his best to teach me with, I felt someone sneak up behind me. Without any warning, I turned around, and could feel myself let out a burst of energy at the pirate who tried to sneak up behind me and attack me. They stood stock still for a second, their eyes rolling into the back of their head, before they fell over, unconscious.

The slightly angry look on my face and my eyes went back to normal, as I stared down at them. I walked over to their head, and bent down, gently poking their head, being careful of my claws. “Hello? Are you okay?” I ask, trying to wake them up. I grabbed them by their shoulders, and shook them, but they were still out. I stood up when my methods weren’t working. I then turned to Ace. “Is that what you meant?” I just looked at his face as he was shocked by how fast I’d picked it up, though it was only on one person.

The pirate on the ground woke up after a few minutes, slowly sitting up, and looking around. When he saw me, he got up and took off, not saying another word.

“Yes, but can you do that, but on a larger scale?” He asked. I nod. 

“I’ll try.” I say, and I close my eyes, and let out a breath. I concentrated, and made myself believe that I was in a very similar situation as to being on a Marine ship, and being outnumbered. When I opened my eyes, they were dilated and I almost seemed to glare. I took one step forward, as I could feel a wave of energy flow from me in a circle, out towards the rest of the ship. I stopped after a second, going back to normal. As I felt everyone stops in their tracks, a few people seemed to vanish, as a thudding was heard, while a few people who were still awake leaned against something to stay standing. A few people feel from higher points on the ship, and my ears went down. “Sorry!” I yelled, not sure if that would make of a difference. I looked back at Ace, who wasn’t exactly sure how he wanted to handle this. He seemed slightly unsteady, but no where near needing something to lean on.

“You’ve got a large range, but let’s try something else, come with me.” He says, heading over to where smaller boats were stored. As we walked away, Pops winked at me, smiling. I smiled back at him, and caught up to Ace, just as he was pulling out a small boat. It looked strange, because it wasn’t like the other row boats. It had a sleeker design, and it was painted yellow on the top, and red on the bottom. It had a sail, and seemed like it could fly through the water. Ace pushed it overboard, and it landed upright in the water. Ace then jumped down, almost as if he’d done this many times before. He looked up at me, motioning for me to jump down.

I nodded, and waited for him to move where he needed to. I then got onto the railing, before I jumped down, landing near the front. I landed on my feet, and steadied myself a bit as it rocked. Once I felt steady enough, I moved until I was on all fours, as I needed to be able to keep my balance.

“Ready?” Ace asked, looking at me. “It’s going to have a bit of a kick, so hold on.”

I only nod, as I feel heat behind me, the small boat taking off faster than I expected it too, but I kept my balance anyway. This was actually a lot of fun, and I was enjoying it. When I look back towards Ace, I see that he’s using his power to make the small boat go, flames shooting out the back of it. I laughed, and looked forward. I then slowly stood up, keeping my balance, as this was fun.

“You want to steer?” Ace asked as we continued to head a little ways away from the ship, but I knew that we weren’t going to go too far.

I looked back at Ace. “Are you sure?” He nods, laughing.

“You seem to be having fun with this, why not?” I smile and laugh as well. “Just lean whichever way you want to turn, but don’t lean too far, we don’t need to flip it.”

I nod, and bend my knees slightly, keeping my feet a good distance apart from each other, and I lean a little to the left, easily turning the boat. I laughed, before I slowly leaned the other way, making the boat turn again. I could feel Ace leaning a little with me, though also making sure that the boat had something to keep it centered. We did this for a few minutes, before Ace lowered the flame to make the boat slow down to a decent pace.

“You’re even better at this than I am.” He laughed. “So, now that we’re a distance away from the ship, try your Haki again. You might not be able to reach the ship from here, but the water can tell us how far you can go.”

I nod, and do the same thing that I did on the ship, but this time, I also seemed to focus on a few specific points as well. I didn’t even close my eyes this time, as when I let out the blast of energy again, it went out in a circle, but this time, smaller circles were able to be seen, hitting the water, as if I was hitting individual targets. The larger circle still hit them, but it was something that hadn’t been seen before. The circle continued to grow, and eventually, it hit the ship, causing a few people to pass out from where it hit.

Whitebeard wasn’t expecting people to pass out, though when he saw a few of them, he was impressed. 

“Was that Willow?” He asked, looking at the few people that had fallen on the ship.

Before anyone could answer him, there was a loud “Sorry!” Coming from the distance. Whitebeard chuckled, as he saw the boat off in the distance, Ace having seemed to sit down. “She is something else.” He said quietly to himself.

Ace continued to sit down and stare at me, as I waved towards the ship, yelling sorry. I hadn’t meant to make people pass out, and even Ace felt a little weakened from being hit with a second wave of Haki. He never knew someone who could use so much Haki two times in a row without getting winded or weakened. I was still standing, and that’s what shocked him the most.

After a few more minutes of me waving and saying sorry, I looked over at Ace. I hadn’t even noticed he’d sat down. “Are you alright?” I ask, as I sat down on his boat, moving a bit closer to him.

“I’m fine.” He chuckled. “Are you tired yet?” He asked. I just shook my head. “Strange, you should be after using so much Haki …” He then shrugged. “But I think that we’re done for the day.” He says. I nod, as I agreed with him. It’s not that I didn’t want to practice more, I just didn’t want to keep knocking people out. 

After a few minutes, Ace was able to stand up. He used his power, and got us back to the ship. It didn’t take too long for us to get back. Once we were back, a few of the crew helped Ace to get us back onto the ship. Once onboard, Ace walked towards Whitebeard. I followed after, as I didn’t feel like walking around the ship, and I was usually able to be found around Whitebeard’s chair, if I wasn’t wandering around the ship or sparring with others. Marco and Whitebeard were talking, and a few of the others had been called over as well. When Ace got closer, they involved him in a brief conversation including me, as Marco had seen the oddity as well.

“Hey Willow.” Marco called to me as I got closer. Go stand over there. We want to try something, and don’t worry, you’re only being blindfolded so that you can’t cheat.” I tilted my head some, but I walked over to where I was told to go, and someone walked over, putting a blindfold over my eyes. I couldn’t see anything, but I could still sense others around me. The one who blindfolded me had walked off, but I could still see and sense where they were. “So, we want you to use your Haki on the people around you, but like how you did on the water. Not with a large blast, but with individual hits.”

I nodded, not knowing what I had done, but I concentrated, and I could sense five people around me, Ace, Whitebeard, Marco, Thatch and Teach. I let out a breath, before I concentrated on where they were, as they were all moving around, except for Whitebeard. I could see where each of them were, and instead of allowing a large blast to come out, blasts of haki hit everyone without a problem. When they’d stopped walking around, I pulled the blindfold off, and looked at everyone. I knew that I’d done something, because they all had stopped, now just looking at me.

“Did I do what you wanted me to?” I ask. Marco nodded, and so did the others.

“All at once.” Marco said. “That’s a pretty interesting skill you’ve got.” Marco seemed impressed, and so did the others, though Teach also seemed to have something underneath being impressed. I didn’t like the way he looked at me, so I stopped focusing on him, looking towards the others. I now felt a little tired, and I wondered why it had taken me so long to get so tired.

I yawned, and walked over to Whitebeard’s chair. Sitting down next to it, I leaned against it. I had only wanted a second to rest, but instead, once I leaned against it, I almost instantly fell asleep, a small smile on my face. Whitebeard laughed, while the others took off.

“She’ll get used to it.” Ace said, walking off to go get some sleep himself. Everyone seemed impressed with being able to use my Haki so easily, and it had shown to Ace, Marco and Whitebeard, that I was also using a second haki along with my first. How I knew to do that was a mystery to them and myself, but I had to have been using it for a while, or else I would have had to have a lot of training to get to that point. Whitebeard could tell that I’d never had training, but it seemed as though I was a natural at it.


	15. Ace Gets a New Sister

It had been a couple of weeks since we’d discovered that I had a very interesting set of skills with my Haki, and I had been making them stronger every single day that I had been practicing, as well as sparring. I was often exhausted by days end, but it was nice being able to get stronger, as well as to have breaks every so often. Ace would usually take me out on his striker, and allow me to steer it around, just to give me a small break from hos much training I’d been doing. There were a few days in those few weeks that I’d not done anything but rest, but those days were good too, because even though I wasn’t training, I went around the ship, starting to get to know everyone a bit better than I had before.

It was late afternoon by the time that someone had noticed a ship heading towards us. None one was panicking, as the ship must have been familiar. As it started to get closer, a few of the others cheered, and Whitebeard seemed to smile. As the ship got closer the captain of the ship was standing at the front, a large sword on his back. I could even see that from here, he had a strange marking on his forehead. Once he got closer, he slowed his ship down, before seeming to float right next to Whitebeard’s.

The strange new captain but a board across the way to bridge the gap. He then walked over, and went straight up to Whitebeard. Both the men laughed, seeming happy to see each other. I was a little confused, but that was alright, no one was getting hurt. A few more members of the strange captains crew came aboard as well, everyone starting to greet everyone. I just stayed quiet, watching. This was an entirely different ship, with their own captain, and I wanted a chance to figure out what they were like first.

“Pops!” The captain said happily. “We were just sailing by, and when we saw the ship, we figured it would be a good idea to stop by. We’ve got a few things to trade with you, and we can also have a party on my ship to celebrate.” He said. The rest of Whitebeard’s crew seemed to figure that having a party was a good idea, though it wasn’t like anyone was going to come and challenge both of the powerful ships when they were this close together.

I had stood near Whitebeard’s chair, as Ace was off somewhere else on the ship, and I didn’t want to feel out of place trying to find him. I moved just a little bit, and caught the captain’s attention. He got a very confused look on his face when he saw me. “Did you pick something up while you were sailing around?” He asked. He wasn’t being rude, though it stood to reason that he’d never seen anything like me before.

Whitebeard smiled. “No Squard, she is my first daughter, and will be staying on this ship. I know she may not seem all powerful, but she is. I’m happy to have brought her onboard. Her name is Willow.” He says, looking at me.

I smile a little shyly, as my ears go back some, as I reach my hand out towards the other captain. He smiles, and extends his hand, shaking mine.

“It’s always good to meet new members of the family.” He says. My ears perk up, and my tail wags a little bit, causing others around to smile as well, most on the Moby Dick knowing that I was happy. “Now, about that party?” Squard asks again.

Within a couple of hours, most of the crews were on Squard’s ship, most drunk by this point, others fighting. The ship was packed full of people, being a little crowded, though somehow, everyone was able to get through without a problem.

I had been walking around earlier in the party, just meeting most of the other crew. They were a bit different from Pops’ crew, but I didn’t mind that. They were friendly, and everyone seemed like family. Eventually, I found a place off to the side and on some railing to sit and watch the party. It was just a little too crowded and noisy, and my senses were getting overloaded with all the sights, smells, and noises that were going on. I decided that maybe it would be better to take a break from the ship, and head back to the Moby Dick, as there was more silence there.

I hoped down off the railing, and made my way towards the board to get back onto the other ship. Thankfully everyone seemed to be more towards the center of the new ship that had appeared, so my path was pretty clear. As I got closer to the other ship, Teach stepped in front of me. I could tell that he was drunk without him even having to be that close. Something about him just sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t know whether to try to walk around him, or just talk to him. I wasn’t even given a choice as he started to talk.

“Willow, where you goin’? The party’s getting started.” He slurred slightly. It took me a second to answer, as I was doing my best to hide my fear, not realizing that Ace was watching the two of us.

“J-just back to the ship … I’d like s-some quiet …” I responded a bit quietly. My tail tucked underneath me, while my ears started to go down. I just wanted to get away from him. A sea shanty suddenly broke out on the ship, while a few people fought with each other, causing me to jump, and let out a quiet noise. I had looked around the ship briefly, before returning to Teach’s face. Something had changed in his expression, though I couldn’t tell if he felt sorry for me, or what was running through his mind. He then moved one of his hands towards my head, a little quickly, and I panicked.

Without any warning, I used haki just on him. No one else seemed to even be aware of what had just happened, but Teach froze where he was, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. He made a noise and started falling. When he did, I yelped, and quickly jumped around him. I scrambled over to the side of the ship that the plank was. I jumped up to the railing, and started to quickly walk across it, not paying any attention to my footing. When I took another step, one of my feet fell off the board, causing me to fall as well, only for me to catch myself on the board with one hand.

Ace wasn’t sure what had happened, but he could already seeing me panic. Quickly, he left the group he was with, walking over quickly, jumping onto the board. He stopped and bent down when he saw me, offering me his hand.

“It’s alright Willow, just give me your hand.” My claws dug a little more into the plank, and I stayed right where I was. I had toned everything out, and I didn’t want to look up at Ace. I didn’t know if he was going to ask about what happened, because I had a feeling that he saw everything happen.

I shake my head once, and bring my other hand up, though I move a bit more towards the Moby Dick. When I feel that I had enough space, I started to pull myself up onto the board. I did so easily, and I walked towards the Moby Dick on all fours, keeping quiet. Once I got on the ship, I stood up, and walked over to the front of the ship. I sat down, and brought my knees to my chest, hiding my face. My ears were down, and my tail was curled under me. My breathing was back to normal, though I didn’t want to be bothered.

Ace thought that my reaction was a bit strange. He thought that he understood why I acted the way I did, and he wasn’t going to hold that against me. He got up, and walked over to the ship, jumping down onto the deck. Marco appeared from below deck and saw Ace.

“Any reason you’re back on the ship?” Marco asked, not noticing me right away. When Ace pointed over, Marco only nodded. Marco left me to Ace, as he got onto the plank, and walked over to the other ship, taking Ace’s place in a sense.

Ace sighed, before walking over to me, sitting down right next to me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, as I knew that he wasn’t looking at me, which was helping a little bit. I could feel the heat that came off him, thanks to his devil fruit, and I felt a bit more comfortable, but I didn’t relax any.

Ace knew that I probably wasn’t going to talk right away, so he decided to try something. Looking at me, he reached out a hand, and gently put it on my head. My ears perked up, before going flat and back. I tried to move my head away from his hand, but eventually just gave in to him, stopping. Ace laughed quietly, which caused me to look at him slightly. I watched as he opened his mouth to speak, though I beat him to it.

“I-I’m sorry …” I whimpered quietly. I could already feel the tears welling in my eyes. If I had been left on my own, I would have been alright, and I could have dealt with this a bit better.

“For what? Willow, no one is angry with you, no one even saw what you did-”

“You did.” I say quietly, my ears going back, as I blinked a few times, a few tears falling, hitting the boards below me. “I don’t … I just … I panicked!” I looked up at him, the tears now starting to run down my face. I watched as Ace frowned slightly, watching me. He thought of something and hoped that it helped. Without giving any warning, he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer to him. He didn’t remove his arm, but he kept his grip firm, but loose, in case his plan didn’t work.

My eyes widened as I didn’t expect him to do that, but when he pulled me closer to him, I let out a small whimper, before I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. I pressed my head into his side, as the tears started to come out even more. Ace smiled a little bit, and put a hand on my back, while he used his other hand to attempt to wipe away my tears.

“Did you think I was going to be angry with you?” Ace asked after a few minutes. I nod slightly, my ears going back, my tail curling around me some. I still continued to hug Ace. It felt strange to be comforted, but I really liked it, it was nice. “Willow, I don’t think that there’s anything I could be angry with you for.” He said, smiling. I slowly looked up at him, my tears starting to stop now, though I was sniffling still, my eyes slightly red from crying. “I’ll talk with Teach once he’s awake in the morning and set him straight.” 

Ace was thankful that I was calming down, he hated to see me panic. With the way that I acted, he was reminded of Sabo and Luffy, though a little more Luffy than Sabo, when the three of them were growing up. That thought made him laugh a little bit, especially since he wondered how Luffy would react if they had a sister. He knew that being on Whitebeard’s crew, meant that you had a large family, no matter which ship you were on, but sometimes personal connections were also made on the ship.

“Hey Willow … what would you think about becoming my little sister?” He asked. I looked at him, not entirely sure what to say. I had felt accepted when I had started to get used to the ship and the people on it, but this was different. 

“You mean … like family?” I asked, tilting my head some. I sniffled a little bit, but I was done crying for the time being. Ace being with me definitely helped.

Ace nodded. “Of course, like family. What else would there be-” Ace let out a small breath, as I hugged him a little harder than I meant to. My tail thumped against the deck, as a smile formed on my face. He laughed and pet my head. I had exhausted myself, and eventually, I fell asleep, resting against him.

Ace had noticed that I fell asleep, only when I had leaned into him a little more. He smiled, before tilting his hat down to cover his eyes. “Sleep well Willow.” He said, before closing his eyes, just resting where he sat.


	16. Teach's Betrayal pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Author's Note: There is going to be a bit of violence in this chapter and the next. It will be a bit worse than the Marine ships chapters.)

I’d been on the ship for four months now, and I had only gotten stronger. I could be found with Ace most of the time, as we were either training, or he was telling me stories of his adventures on the open ocean. A few of the others on the crew chipped in sometimes too, and I always enjoyed hearing their stories. I continued to get closer to Ace and Whitebeard, as I trusted them the most. Of course I was doing my best to get a chance to know everyone else, and everything on the ship seemed pleasant for a while. We’d encountered a few ships that tried to fight with the Moby Dick, but usually teams of two would be all that was needed to change their captains minds, and send them on their way. Things were good, for a while, that was until Thatch got back to the ship.

Thatch had taken off to go on his own for a while, but he said that he wouldn’t be gone long. A few months wasn’t a long time, and when he came back, he brought treasure with him, as well as a devil fruit. Everyone was pretty interested in what it was, and I found it interesting, because I’d never seen one before. 

While everyone was distracted by the devil fruit itself, I looked around, and when I saw the look that Teach had, it sent a shiver down my spine. I really didn’t want to believe what I was seeing, but I didn’t like it. He had a look that said he’d do anything to get something, and I had a feeling that I knew exactly what that thing was. I quickly looked away from Teach, though he seemed to lose his expression, when he’d noticed me watching, but that didn’t mean that his mind hadn’t been dead set on his new goal.

As the day had gone on, dark clouds started to creep closer and closer to the ship. Everyone stayed above deck for a while, before most people headed below deck, a few of the crew staying above deck.

For the rest of the day, the wind picked up, and the clouds only seemed to get much worse, but the ship was steady, and there hadn’t been any drops of rain, not that it smelled like it was going to rain anytime soon.

Finally, night came around, and everyone started to settle down for the night. I crawled into my bunk under Ace’s, pulling the blanket over me. I listened to the cabin, and I could hear everyone that was down there, drifting off to sleep. I closed my eyes, and was slowly starting to drift off to sleep, when I heard a bed creak, and then boards. I barely opened my eyes, but when I did, I knew exactly who it was that had gotten up. Teach. He stopped a few times, and when he did, I shut my eyes, not wanting him to notice that I was awake, if he even noticed. Finally, after long periods of waiting, he left the cabin. 

I let out a small breath, but I knew that he was up to something. Quietly, I left my bed, not caring how I left it. I made it out of the cabin without making a sound, and I quickly followed after Teach. He wasn’t too difficult to track, and I just had a really bad feeling about him leaving the cabin.

That feeling that I’d had about Teach were correct, as I soon found out. As I’d continued to follow after Teach, keeping hidden, he seemed to only get more aggressive, the longer the walk took him. Eventually, Teach stopped, and I found an area nearby to hide, watching him.

Teach seemed to be waiting for someone, as there was a room nearby. After a few minutes, Thatch came out of the room, closing the door behind him. He started to walk away from the room, and Teach walked out, getting hit with the little bit of light there was.

“Zehaha.” He laughed darkly. “Have you figured out what the devil fruit is yet?” He asked. Thatch was clearly taken aback by Teach’s forcefulness, but he held his ground. 

“I might, but it’s not like you need to know that yet. I want to keep looking. Good night Teach.” Thatch says, starting to walk away. Teach roughly placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him from leaving.

“Give me the fruit.” He threatened. “I know what it is, and you aren’t going to eat it, I deserve it!” He said, raising his voice some, roughly turning Thatch towards him. Before Thatch could even react to what was happening, Teach had a knife in his hand, and it connected with Thatch’s stomach. Teach pulled the knife out, before stabbing him a few more times. When he let Thatch go, Thatch stumbled back a bit, leaning against the wall, holding the area that was bleeding.

I made a quiet noise, and I knew that I was going to have to get to that fruit first, because something just told me that Teach shouldn’t get it. I took a breath, before I sprinted from where I was hiding, towards the two. They didn’t notice me, until I grabbed the door handle. I pushed into the room, and I found the fruit laying on the desk, a book of devil fruits open beside it. I grabbed it off the desk, and held it close to me, as I turned around.

I watched as Thatch fell over onto his stomach, as he’d lost his grip on the wall he was leaning on, blood starting to pool under him. I looked at him, tears starting to peak in my eyes, though I looked at Teach, who was just staring right at me, or rather the devil fruit that I held. I knew that I could handle myself, and fight Teach off, but I didn’t want to be blamed for what happened to Thatch. I could have stepped in sooner. 

“ACE!” I yelled loudly. “ACE! Teach has gone crazy! ACE!” I called, though when I didn’t hear anything, Teach brought out one of his guns, pointing them at me. I didn’t know what else to do, as my mind was racing, and so I did the one thing that popped into my head. I brought the devil fruit to my mouth, and I ate it. I chewed it quickly, but I swallowed it whole.

“NO!” Teach cried out, as his opportunity had been wasted. He growled, before pulling the trigger on his gun a few times. Each time they found their mark, though the last one went through the middle of my skull, splattering my blood behind me on the table and book. I stayed standing only for a little while, before I fell back, smacking the back of my head on the point of the table. The table rocked, and the book fell off the crooked table, landing with a thud on the floor, right next to me. “You stupid brat! You ruined everything!” Teach yelled, feeling everything start to close in on him, as his plan had seemingly been thwarted by me. “That devil fruit was supposed to be mine! Someone else will get it now!” He yelled angrily.

He put his hand to his forehead, gun still in hand, as he muttered to himself, knowing that he was going to have to leave soon, so that he didn’t get killed, but he didn’t notice my eyes start to flicker open, as I was starting to come to. No one on this ship knew that I couldn’t die but Teach was going to learn that real fast.

Ace had been asleep, though when he heard me yelling, it started to wake him up. “Hmm? Willow?” He asked sleepily. “Did you call-” As he stuck his head over the side of the bunk, he saw that I wasn’t where I should have been. “Willow!” Ace yelled, respectively waking a few other people in the cabin. Most people hated to be woken up, but they had gotten used to it. Ace jumped down from his bed. “Guys! Something’s wrong!” Ace said, before quickly running out of the cabin. “WILLOW!” He called for me. When Ace let out his second call, more people started waking up, as they all knew that something was wrong. Even whitebeard heard the commotion, and started to get out of bed, knowing that something was wrong on his ship.

When I had started to come to, and when I started to realize what had happened, and I was angry now, more than sad or fearful. I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position. I seemed to radiate new energy, thanks to the devil fruit. “Teach …” I say quietly, as my voice was trying to come back. He didn’t hear me, and that caused me to growl. I looked away from Teach, and towards Thatch, who was laying lifeless on the ground. I growled again, not realizing that my eyes had become pure ocher once again, though they also had a tinge of shadow to them, giving them an eerie look. “Teach!” I snarl, glaring at him.

Teach turned to look right at me, his eyes widening, and his hand falling to his side, almost losing his grip on the gun. “N-No! You can’t be alive! I shot you! I killed you!” He yelled, holding his gun back up towards me, though he was shaking, and I could smell the fear on him.

“Now it’s your turn.” I growled, running at him. He shot at me a few times, but I dodged the bullets as I continued to get closer, until I was in front of him. I still had to look up at him, but that didn’t bother me, as he stumbled back some, hitting the railing behind him. “Murderer.” I say quietly under my breath. A small line of darkness left my foot, trailing towards Teach. Once under him, it opened up, and swallowed his feet. Before he could say anything, I sent the spot of darkness rushing towards the area where Whitebeard’s chair was. He was going to pay for what he had done, and I was going to be the one to do it.

As Ace and the others headed to where the gunshots were, they all stopped when Teach went flying by them, yelling as he flew by them. He slammed into the railing near the front of the ship, though his feet were still engulfed by the darkness, making it impossible for him to move.

The next thing that everyone saw, was me walking out, growling angrily, along with the darkness seeming to flow from me. I looked at everyone and growled, baring my fangs, though I didn’t attack anyone.

I looked ahead again, and just walked towards the main deck area, Whitebeard walked out once he heard the sound of someone yelling and getting slammed into the railing. He didn’t know what was going on, but when he saw me heading towards Teach, he knew that something must have happened, but what that something was, but he knew that it wasn’t good.


	17. Teach's Betrayal Pt. 2

(Author's note: There is going to be violence, some blood, and cursing.)

I came to a stop a few feet away from Teach. He was visibly shaking, and even though he was trying to pull his feet out from the darkness under him. I glared at him, growling, baring my fangs towards him. My claws itched to dig into something, and I knew that soon enough, they would, but I was waiting.

The rest of the crew seemed to circle around, not entirely sure what was going on. All they knew, was that Teach had done something to make me very angry, and they could all see the plain terror on his face.

“Willow … what’s going on?” Ace spoke up, taking a few steps closer, though keeping his distance.

“She’s crazy! A damn monster! You’ve got to believe me!” Teach yelled, panic evident in his voice as it cracked some. “She murdered Thatch over the fruit!” He yelled, looking around frantically at the rest of the crew, hoping that the others would believe him.

“What do you mean? Willow?” Ace asked, not believing what he was hearing. There was no way that I could have killed Thatch over the fruit, and yet, there I was, using it, but he was trying to give me a chance.

“She came back-” Before Teach could finish his sentence, The darkness seemed to run up his right leg, stopping before the hip. I held my hand out, before slowly closing it into a fist. The darkness quickly closed around his hip, severing his leg from his body, blood flowing from his leg onto the deck. Teach let out a loud yell, not expecting the pain. I moved my hand over to the side, as a circle of darkness opened up a few feet from Teach, as his severed leg fell onto the deck, the circle disappearing just as fast as it had come.

I growled angrily at Teach. “I didn’t kill Thatch! You did! I should have stopped you the moment that I saw how you looked at the fruit!” I growled, walking closer to Teach, who had now gotten used to the pain, at least as much as he was able to. “I tried getting used to you, but I just couldn’t! I knew something was up with you!” Growling, I glared at him.

The rest of the crew was speechless. They never expected me to act this way, considering that the only time I had ever been violent, was when the Marine ships had attacked, but even then, that was to protect. This was to protect people, but it also seemed to be something else. Ace, Marco and Whitebeard all stared at me. Of course, Whitebeard could end it at any moment if he wanted to, but if Thatch had been killed, justice was already being served on the ship.

“You’re a murderer! And you’re going to die slowly.” I growled, before I held my hand out, and moved it again, a circle moving up from his other foot to his hip, separating the leg form his hip. 

Teach let out another loud yell, just staring up at me, looking into my bright ocher eyes. Pain was clouding his mind, so he didn’t think to use the gun that was still clutched tightly in his right hand.

I wasn’t taking any enjoyment in any of this. In fact, I hated doing this, but with the anger that I felt, some of it at myself, I couldn’t stop myself from doing what I felt was right. Slowly, I moved the darkness up even further, stopping at his waist, before I closed my hand, only his head, arms, and torso remaining. I dropped his lower half a little away from him, allowing him to see what was happening. His torso fell to the deck, though he didn’t try to go anywhere. He coughed, causing blood to fly out of his mouth, some of it slowly trailing down his chin.

I moved a dark circle over his left hand, and up to his shoulder, separating that from his body, letting it drop right in front of him. He cried out in pain, though this cry was weaker, as his blood stained the deck, and what was left of his clothes. His breathing was shallow and long, and even though he was only a torso, his eyes held the light of life in them still, though that light was slowly fading.

After a few minutes, Teach’s face seemed to change, seeming to make him appear as though he was going crazy. The expression that he wore on his face was the same one he’d made when he’d first seen the fruit. “Alright! Alright! I did it! I killed Thatch! That fruit was mine!” Teach yelled before I had the chance to do anything else. I could feel the anger starting to rise on the ship, though no one took a step forward. “I had been searching for it! And now it’s in the hands of this monster! But you can’t kill her! I’ve tried!” Teach yells, staring at me.

I growl and shake my head. Without any warning, I swing my hand at him, leaving deep claw marks in his face. “You didn’t kill me! You only thought you did!” I growled, as the wound on my forehead had gone away once I fully healed. I backed away from him, before holding my hand out. Darkness slowly started to form around his neck, as I was going to end his life.

Before the darkness could form all the way around his neck, Teach laughed, shakily pulling his arm up, pointing his gun towards me. My eyes went wide, and before I could do anything, he fired off the last two rounds. One managed to find its way into my chest, while the other one found it’s way into my head.

“WILLOW! NO!” Ace yelled, his eyes going wide, as he was trying to process what he’d just seen. He threw a hand out towards me, walking closer, hoping what he’d just seen wasn’t real. He’d grown close to me, and there was a fear of losing me, hidden in the back of his mind. Now that fear came forward, calling to mind of the one brother he’d lost so long ago.

The ocher color faded back to normal eyes, though the life in my eyes seemed to fade quickly, making them dull. I hadn’t felt any pain, and when I’d gotten hit, I’d taken a step back, somehow continuing to stand. I stood only for a second longer, before falling back. I hit the deck and bounced slightly, laying on my back. My head rolled to the side some, my mouth open only slightly, my eyes wide and completely void of life.

Ace rushed over to me, falling to his knees. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me close. “Willow!” He yelled again, feeling a cold pang in his stomach. He continued to look down at me, a horrified look on his face. “Willow …” Ace said quietly, not even paying attention to Teach, who was very close to death. “Willow! You can’t die on me!” He yelled, tears starting to form in his eyes, a few drops falling onto me. No one had ever seen him like this, and it was a slight change from how he normally was. 

Marco just watched, his expression not seeming to change, at least from a distance, but he was saddened by what just happened. Whitebeard was shocked as well, having a few events take place almost all at once, though he was also angered and saddened, believing that he’d lost me. He liked having me around, so did everyone else. I’d fit right in with everyone on the ship, once I got used to it, and now, I’d been taken away almost as soon as I’d joined the crew.

Teach’s laugh cut into Ace talking, causing Ace to look up and glare at him. “Ze ha … something familiar … about … this … A … c … e …?” Teach asked in a mocking tone. He took a few more breaths, before seeming to stop moving, his eyes also fading, closing on their own.

Ace gritted his teeth, anger present. He lit up, his back, sides, and arms catching fire, none of it touching me. He continued to hold my body with one arm, pointing the other with an open palm at Teach’s now lifeless body. Ace’s eyes almost seemed to have fire in them, as he shot a bright blast of red-orange flames out of his hand, letting out a yell as he did. “YOU BASTARD! If you weren’t already dead, I’d have killed you myself!” Ace yelled, the flames continuing, hitting the different parts of Teach that were scattered around him.

When Ace finished, his flames slowly died, until he was back to his normal self, the light of the burning body giving an eerie light to the entire scene. Ace put a hand over his eyes, though he couldn’t hide how his shoulders were shaking, or the tears that were now flowing down his face. Only Whitebeard could see Ace, while everyone else watched on, trying to understand what had just happened. The ship was eerily quite and so was the sea, despite the sound of the fire.


	18. Revived

To everyone on the ship, it had seemed as though, they had lost a part of the crew that couldn’t be replaced. I was different, I had been badly broken when I was pulled on board the ship, but within the first two weeks that I’d been on the ship, I’d improved a lot.

Whitebeard sat down in his chair, staying quiet. There had been too much death on his ship in one night, and he wondered how it had come to this. He closed his eyes, a pain was slowly starting to form in his chest. The rest of the crew just looked on with shocked and saddened faces, no one saying anything.

What everyone failed to notice however, was that my wounds were healing. I wasn’t yet breathing, as my body was trying to make sure that it wasn’t too badly damaged, but I wasn’t dead. I had been killed twice tonight, but at least I wasn’t going to be leaving the ship or this crew any time soon.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally started to come to. I felt Ace’s tears on my face, though when my hearing came back, I could hear a few people crying. I was a bit confused, but I had yet to open my eyes. Slowly, I opened them. When I did, I was greeted with Ace, who didn’t have a happy face as I’d seen so many times before.

“Willow …” Ace said quietly, his voice seeming to break and catch in his throat. He couldn’t see through his hand that my eyes were open. I was a little confused as to what was going on. I slowly turned my head, only to see the flames that were burning Teach’s body. There was a smell that I never wanted to smell again, the smell of burning flesh. I quickly looked away, but not before the image was stuck in my mind.

When I looked back at Ace, I believe that I understood what had happened, and I also realized that I forgot to tell everyone on the ship that I couldn’t die, but that was only because I’d made a habit of letting anyone know about that, because I was afraid of the masters I had keeping me around.

I started to move, trying to get out of Ace’s arms so that I could sit up and face him. Of course his grip got tighter around me, thinking that someone was trying to remove me from his arms. The rest of the crew had now started to notice what was going on, and they just stared, not sure what to make of it. Marco looked up, and when he saw me moving, he tapped Whitebeard’s chair, causing him to open his eyes. When he saw what was going on, the pain in his chest left, as he was now confused, just as everyone else was.

I continued to try to move out of Ace’s grip, but it was becoming a bit difficult. If I didn’t get out of his grip soon, it almost felt like he was going to crush me. I made a quiet noise, before I tried sitting up some, Ace losing his grip on me slightly. “No! Don’t take-” Ace started to say, before he looked up, tears still in his eyes, sadness and confusion replacing the fire that was in his eyes, once he saw me. “W-Willow?” Ace asked, not believing what he was seeing. I nod, smiling a little, though I could also feel tears starting to form in my eyes.

Without any warning, I leaned forward, wrapping Ace in a tight hug, my face resting against his chest. “I’m sorry.” I said quietly. “I didn’t … I tried …” I just stopped talking as the tears began to fall.

Ace slowly wrapped his arms around me, a shocked look on his face, as he wasn’t sure what to do. After a few minutes, he gently put his hands on my shoulders, and pushed me back. I wiped my eyes, and looked at him, sniffling some. “How? How are you alive?”

I slowly shrugged. “I don’t know …” I pause. “I just … can’t die …” My voice wavered some as I felt more tears starting to come up. I felt upset by the fact that I hadn’t stopped someone from dying, I had killed someone else, and I had stupidly gotten myself killed. “I don’t know how … I just can’t …”

Ace gave me a slightly confused look, as did everyone else. This was news to everyone else, but it was also strange, since it couldn’t have been a devil fruit that brought me back, because I’d never even heard of a devil fruit before, as well as the fact that I couldn’t have already eaten one, because I would have died horribly if I ate the one that was on the ship.

“How do you know you can’t die?” Ace asked, looking at me. His tears had stopped, but he wasn’t smiling either.

I made a noise, though I didn’t look away from him, not wanting to see the others faces at the moment. My voice got caught in my throat, as I tried to speak again. It was difficult with what I was trying to say, as I hoped to never have to say it. My ears went back, and my voice finally decided to come out.

“My …” I paused, letting out a breath. “My … masters …” I put my hands down at my side, my hands shaking some. “They … that’s … why I knew …” My voice cracked as I tried to explain it. “Because it …” I couldn’t find the right words. “That’s why I was so afraid when I first got on this ship … I was afraid … because of all the stories I’d heard … and …” My breathing hitched in my throat. “I didn’t know … but I was afraid … that if … everyone on this ship knew … that I …” I looked down, my ears going back a bit, tears hitting the deck. “But … I just …” I shook my head, not knowing what to say. I tried to wipe my tears away. “That’s why I was the way I was … because I’d never met anyone like all of you … I’d never been shown kindness until I got on this ship …” I went quiet, and looked up, watching everyone’s face, not sure how others were going to react.

Whitebeard and Ace now realized why I acted the way that I had, as it made sense. Even though it was a dark reality that I had lived for so long, They and everyone on the ship was glad to have me on board. I was strong, and everyone enjoyed being around me. No one would have had it any other way of me coming on board the ship.

Ace looked at me, smiling some. “Why didn’t you tell us once you got comfortable being around us?”

I laughed a little bit. “I guess … it never crossed my mind.”

The atmosphere on the ship changed, and was a little more comfortable than it had been, even though an air of tenseness was still around everyone.

Ace pulled me into a hug, and I hugged him back. “You idiot! Don’t ever do that again! I thought I’d lost my little sister.”

I laughed. “Alright … I won’t …” I paused, smiling, feeling a little better, but not by much. “Don’t you die on me.” I say, hearing him laugh quietly.


	19. Ace's Reassurance

It had only been a few days since Teach and Thatch were killed. The smell of burnt flesh was in the air, though it was starting to go away. The shipwrights that were on the ship had removed the scorched boards and were placing new ones down. Once they pulled the damaged boards up, they quickly took them away, and threw them into the sea. They didn’t want to have anything else to do with the boards and felt that they would be better in the ocean.

Over the few days that had passed, Whitebeard had allowed me to stay in his cabin with him. He wasn’t sure how I was going to be after what happened, so he wanted to keep an eye on me. Of course, for the first two nights, I’d had nightmares. Some of the nightmares were just me watching myself kill Teach, though in that one, I always had a smile on my face, whereas others were about the new power that I had acquired. There was always a dark shadow, and it would always take me over, causing me to do horrible things to others. I was trying not to let any of the dreams get to me, but they never seemed to end. Ace had joined the two of us, as everyone on board the ship could usually hear me. Ace hoped to possibly help me while I slept, but even he wasn’t sure what to do.

Whitebeard and Ace were exhausted, but at least I was starting to get better with their help, though I stayed in Whitebeard’s cabin, keeping to myself, not wanting to go outside just yet. I knew that I would want to practice and learn how my power worked, but I was going to wait to do that. I wasn’t sure if something would go wrong, or if I could hurt people.

I was staring down at my hands, when Ace opened the door, peaking his head inside. “Are you doing alright Willow?” He asked, walking over, and sitting down on the couch. I didn’t respond to him, as I was lost in my thoughts. Ace sighed, before waving a hand in my face. That got my attention, and I looked at him. I saw how tired he looked, and I felt bad for him. I knew that I’d been keeping him up, and I felt that it wasn’t fair to him. I gave him a small smile, though it didn’t last long.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, looking at me. He knew that something was on my mind, apart from the things that had just happened.

“Were you … ever afraid of your power? Afraid of burning everything?” I asked. I hoped that Ace would give me some insight on what it felt like when he got his power. For me, the circumstances in which I got mine, weren’t the best, and it was darkness of all things. I wasn’t even sure what all it could do, and that scared me more than anything else.

“Well … a little, but you’ve got to trust yourself with it. If you don’t do that, then you will hurt someone with it.” Ace put his hand on my shoulder, “Marco and I can train you, same goes for others on the crew that have eaten a devil fruit. We’ll make sure you get it, but knowing you, you’ll probably get it on the first try.” Ace said, laughing a little bit, closing his eyes as he laughed. 

I looked away from him, at my hands. “Hmm … maybe … you’re right …” I say quietly. “Ace …” I stop talking when I hear snoring. I look back at Ace, and he’s asleep, sitting up. That made me smile a little bit. “I’ll do my best.” I slowly moved, laying down on the couch, curling up a little bit. I let out a breath, before closing my eyes. I slowly drifted off to sleep next to Ace, a small smile on my face.

Whitebeard came in not too long after Ace, and when he saw us, he smiled. It seemed that Ace had said something to help. He laid down on his bed, falling asleep within minutes.


	20. Darkness and Mishaps

After spending two more days in Whitebeard’s cabin, I finally decided to go outside. It was a dark gloomy day, light and dark grey clouds kept any sunlight or blue skies out of sight. It wasn’t going to rain, but it was just a cloudy day. I wanted to see the sun and blue skies, but I didn’t mind it for the time being. There was a slight breeze, so it wasn’t all bad.

I looked at the part of the deck where Teach had died, and it looked as though nothing had even happened there, which I was thankful for. I wouldn’t have been able to stay near this area if I had to constantly be reminded of that night, at least with something visual.

Ace and Marco seemed to be off somewhere else on the ship, though Whitebeard continued to sit on his chair. The ship was slowly sailing, the breeze that we were getting, causing the ship to move. I sighed, before holding my hand out. I took a breath, letting it out, before I summoned a circle of darkness a little bit off the ground. I touched it with my hand, and when it felt solid, I decided to put a foot on it. When I did, it was still solid. I then created a few other circles of darkness, spacing them out. I jumped from circle to circle, not having a problem. Opening a larger circle under me, I stepped on it, the others disappearing.

I wasn’t too high up, but I could see a lot of the ship. I took a breath and sank into the darkness. Without any warning, a circle appeared near Whitebeard’s chair, and I rose from the circle, it disappearing. I didn’t feel worn out, but I was already starting to get the hang of it. I looked towards Whitebeard, and smiled, as he was also smiling, happy to see me out and about.

“Seems like you’re a natural at this as well.” Whitebeard said.

I nod. “Yeah … I guess so.” I pause. “Where’s-” Before I can finish what I was asking, Ace and Marco come around carrying barrels. Ace carried two, while Marco carried one. They set them down and walked over towards Whitebeard’s chair. “What are the barrels for?” I ask, looking at them.

“For you to practice with.” Ace said, Marco nodding.

I looked at them, tilting my head some. “Well … um … alright.” I say. This time, instead of raising my hand to make the circles appear, A line of darkness shot out of my foot, and over to one of the barrels. A large circle opened up under it, taking it down into the darkness quickly. The circle became a tiny line, before moving a bit closer to us. Another circle appeared, and up came a crushed barrel. The metal was twisted, and the wood was splintered and closed in around itself.

I made a noise, as I wondered if that could have happened to me, though I wondered if maybe I was alright, besides being the owner of the dark power, I could go into the darkness, and reappear without a problem. I looked back at the others, and Ace nodded, trying to encourage me to do it again.

I took the second barrel, and it came up splintered again, though not as badly as the first. I hadn’t thought about getting the barrel safely where I was as much as I had the first one. I took another breath, and did the same thing to the last barrel, but this time, when it came up, it had only a few little scratches on it, but it was completely fine.

I smiled, my tail wagging some, my ears up, as I was happy that I was really getting the hang of it. I looked back at the others, who were slightly impressed. I then decided to try something that hopefully wouldn’t cause me to drown. I turned and ran towards the railing. I jumped over it, watching the water get closer. Ace and Marco watched with wide eyes as I did this, not even expecting me to do something so stupid. Marco already had his wings out, as he took off the ship, flying towards me, ready to save me if whatever plan I had didn’t work. Ace just stood at the railing, not sure what I was doing.

As I got closer to the water, I sent darkness out from my foot, and a little bit above the water, a circle large enough for me to stand on formed. I landed on it easily, and I didn’t have any water touching me. I laughed happily, and as I started taking steps forward, the circle seemed to go with me, though it only left a brief trail behind me. I took off running, and the circle never failed, and I was even able to run back up towards the boat. I laughed happily, running even higher than the ship.

Marco had stopped in his tracks when I did my little trick, and everyone on the ship had stopped and stared, not sure what to make of me. I smiled, and once I was at a good height, I fell backwards off the circle, letting myself fall back towards the ship. I knew what I was going to do, and I wouldn’t let myself be hurt.

I could hear all the murmurs on the ship, as well as Marco flying towards me. I smiled, and before Marco could get to me, a circle formed under me, and I vanished. Again, Marco stopped, looking around for me. Ace couldn’t believe what he saw either, and he also looked around. A circle appeared next to Whitebeard’s chair, and I popped up.

“That was great, wasn’t it?!” I said happily. Ace looked right at me, and Marco came down, watching me as well. I laughed a little at their expressions. “Don’t worry, I knew what I was doing, but that was a lot of fun.” Whitebeard laughed a little bit as well.

“How about we spar with our powers?” I ask, looking at Marco and Ace. “Nothing that can destroy the ship … but that’s another way for me to get used to my power, especially if I use it in combat.” Ace and Marco looked at each other, before nodding.

I watched as Ace made flames appear in his hands, and Marco got his wings, and flew off the ship a little bit. I called the darkness to both of my hands, as well as having it ready at my feet. Marco flapped his wings, flying towards me, while Ace started to shoot a few blasts of fire at me, moving a little closer to me. With my left hand, I brought out a shield of darkness, blocking Ace’s attacks, almost seeming to absorb them, before I looked at Marco. As he got close to me, he did a flip, sticking his leg out, as he went to kick me.

I quickly reached out and grabbed his leg. The darkness didn’t spread from my hand, but it did do something else. What happened, was that Marco’s wings completely went away, and he fell onto the deck. Ace immediately stopped what he was doing, and I let go of Marco’s leg, as well as letting my shield down. 

“Marco? Are you alright?” I ask, offering my hand to him. It seemed that our spar had ended a bit quickly. Marco took my hand and got up. When I let go of his hand, I could see that he was trying to summon his wings back but was unable to. I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but I hoped that I hadn’t just gotten rid of his powers. Marco continued to try to get his powers back for a few minutes, his wings coming back, and nothing was wrong with them. I let out a sigh, afraid that I’d taken away his powers.

“What was that?” Ace asked, walking over, looking at the both of us.

“No idea, but whatever it was, it’ll be useful later on.” Marco said.

“I guess …” I said quietly. I held my out toward the ocean, and a circle appeared, but not before release Ace’s attack that he’d sent my way. “Well … um … guess I can do that too …” I say, laughing a little nervously. The circle went away, and I looked back at them. “Let’s not do that again …” I say quietly.

There was one thing that I wanted to try, but they needed to keep their distance. “Hey guys, move back, I want to try something.” I say, putting my hand on the deck. Darkness spread from my hand, quickly snaking along the ground. When Ace and Marco saw this, they quickly backed up. I continued to make the circle grow, it covering the area that I wanted it to, stopping a little bit before Whitebeard’s chair.

What I hadn’t realized, was that Ace and Marco hadn’t been able to get away from the circle, and the fact that this darkness was a little different from the other darkness that I’d been using. Before Ace and Marco even had a chance to say something, the darkness pulled them down. When I stood up, I realized that Ace and Marco weren’t where they would be, and I felt a chill go down my spine. Without any warning, I made a circle appear under me, and I went into the darkness as well.

This time, while in the darkness, there was light. It was white light, and as I looked around, I saw two orbs that were a slight distance away. One was the color of fire and the fire seemed to be moving, while the other was a bright blue and yellow, also moving as if it were fire. I started to walk towards them. Somehow, I was walking on what felt like soft, solid ground, and everything around felt a little like water, as my movements felt a little sluggish, but nothing that caused me alarm. When I got closer to the two different color orbs, I also saw the two people that they were attached to, Ace and Marco. Both of them were just floating there. Their eyes were closed, their heads down, almost as if they were asleep or unconscious.

“Ace! Marco!” I yelled, although my yelling was muffled. I reached a hand out to Ace, though when my hand got close enough, his orb started to leak power towards me, almost as if I was taking away his ability. I quickly pulled my hand back, backing away from him. I wasn’t sure what to do, as I was panicking, but as I panicked, I noticed that the area around them was starting to get closer. I shook my head, and before the area around them could close in anymore, I moved both of my hands up, sending Ace and Marco back up to the deck. I followed shortly after, though Ace and Marco were conscious, and looking around. They both looked towards me, and before they could say anything, I quickly ran towards the front of the ship.

I jumped over the railing, towards the ocean. I created the circle under me, as I took off running. I wanted to get away from the ship, as I had nearly killed two people, and I’d almost taken one’s ability from them.

“Willow!” Ace yelled after me, hoping to get me to come back onto the ship. Ace wasn’t sure what had happened, as all he remembered was getting absorbed into the darkness and coming back out. Ace tried to get up, but when he did, he fell back down. Something had drained him. Even though he wanted to make sure that I was alright, and didn’t beat myself up over this, he couldn’t.

“Marco … go after Willow.” He said, laying back on the deck. Marco nodded, forming his wings again, as he took off from the ship, heading the same way that I went, slowly starting to catch up to me.


	21. Darkness and Mishaps

After spending two more days in Whitebeard’s cabin, I finally decided to go outside. It was a dark gloomy day, light and dark grey clouds kept any sunlight and blue skies out of sight. It wasn’t going to rain, but it was just a cloudy day. I wanted to see the sun and blue skies, but I didn’t mind it for the time being. There was a slight breeze, so it wasn’t all bad.

I looked at the part of the deck where Teach had died, and it looked as though nothing had even happened there, which I was thankful for. I wouldn’t have been able to stay near this area if I had to constantly be reminded of that night, at least with something visual.

Ace and Marco seemed to be off somewhere else on the ship, though Whitebeard continued to sit on his chair. The ship was slowly sailing, the breeze that we were getting, causing the ship to move. I sighed, before holding my hand out. I took a breath, letting it out, before I summoned a circle of darkness a little bit off the ground. I touched it with my hand, and when it felt solid, I decided to put a foot on it. When I did, it was still solid. I then created a few other circles of darkness, spacing them out. I jumped from circle to circle, not having a problem. Opening a larger circle under me, I stepped on it, the others disappearing.

I wasn’t too high up, but I could see a lot of the ship. I took a breath and sank into the darkness. Without any warning, a circle appeared near Whitebeard’s chair, and I rose from the circle, it disappearing. I didn’t feel worn out, but I was already starting to get the hang of it. I looked towards Whitebeard, and smiled, as he was also smiling, happy to see me out and about.

“Seems like you’re a natural at this as well.” Whitebeard said.

I nod. “Yeah … I guess so.” I pause. “Where’s-” Before I can finish what I was asking, Ace and Marco come around carrying barrels. Ace carried two, while Marco carried one. They set them down and walked over towards Whitebeard’s chair. “What are the barrels for?” I ask, looking at them.

“For you to practice with.” Ace said, Marco nodding.

I looked at them, tilting my head some. “Well … um … alright.” I say. This time, instead of raising my hand to make the circles appear, A line of darkness shot out of my foot, and over to one of the barrels. A large circle opened up under it, taking it down into the darkness quickly. The circle became a tiny line, before moving a bit closer to us. Another circle appeared, and up came a crushed barrel. The metal was twisted, and the wood was splintered and closed in around itself.

I made a noise, as I wondered if that could have happened to me, though I wondered if maybe I was alright, besides being the owner of the dark power, I could go into the darkness, and reappear without a problem. I looked back at the others, and Ace nodded, trying to encourage me to do it again.

I took the second barrel, and it came up splintered again, though not as badly as the first. I hadn’t thought about getting the barrel safely where I was as much as I had the first one. I took another breath, and did the same thing to the last barrel, but this time, when it came up, it had only a few little scratches on it, but it was completely fine.

I smiled, my tail wagging some, my ears up, as I was happy that I was really getting the hang of it. I looked back at the others, who were slightly impressed. I then decided to try something that hopefully wouldn’t cause me to drown. I turned and ran towards the railing. I jumped over it, watching the water get closer. Ace and Marco watched with wide eyes as I did this, not even expecting me to do something so stupid. Marco already had his wings out, as he took off the ship, flying towards me, ready to save me if whatever plan I had didn’t work. Ace just stood at the railing, not sure what I was doing.

As I got closer to the water, I sent darkness out from my foot, and a little bit above the water, a circle large enough for me to stand on formed. I landed on it easily, and I didn’t have any water touching me. I laughed happily, and as I started taking steps forward, the circle seemed to go with me, though it only left a brief trail behind me. I took off running, and the circle never failed, and I was even able to run back up towards the boat. I laughed happily, running even higher than the ship.

Marco had stopped in his tracks when I did my little trick, and everyone on the ship had stopped and stared, not sure what to make of me. I smiled, and once I was at a good height, I fell backwards off the circle, letting myself fall back towards the ship. I knew what I was going to do, and I wouldn’t let myself be hurt.

I could hear all the murmurs on the ship, as well as Marco flying towards me. I smiled, and before Marco could get to me, a circle formed under me, and I vanished. Again, Marco stopped, looking around for me. Ace couldn’t believe what he saw either, and he also looked around. A circle appeared next to Whitebeard’s chair, and I popped up.

“That was great, wasn’t it?!” I said happily. Ace looked right at me, and Marco came down, watching me as well. I laughed a little at their expressions. “Don’t worry, I knew what I was doing, but that was a lot of fun.” Whitebeard laughed a little bit as well.

“How about we spar with our powers?” I ask, looking at Marco and Ace. “Nothing that can destroy the ship … but that’s another way for me to get used to my power, especially if I use it in combat.” Ace and Marco looked at each other, before nodding.

I watched as Ace made flames appear in his hands, and Marco got his wings, and flew off the ship a little bit. I called the darkness to both of my hands, as well as having it ready at my feet. Marco flapped his wings, flying towards me, while Ace started to shoot a few blasts of fire at me, moving a little closer to me. With my left hand, I brought out a shield of darkness, blocking Ace’s attacks, almost seeming to absorb them, before I looked at Marco. As he got close to me, he did a flip, sticking his leg out, as he went to kick me.

I quickly reached out and grabbed his leg. The darkness didn’t spread from my hand, but it did do something else. What happened, was that Marco’s wings completely went away, and he fell onto the deck. Ace immediately stopped what he was doing, and I let go of Marco’s leg, as well as letting my shield down. 

“Marco? Are you alright?” I ask, offering my hand to him. It seemed that our spar had ended a bit quickly. Marco took my hand and got up. When I let go of his hand, I could see that he was trying to summon his wings back but was unable to. I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but I hoped that I hadn’t just gotten rid of his powers. Marco continued to try to get his powers back for a few minutes, his wings coming back, and nothing was wrong with them. I let out a sigh, afraid that I’d taken away his powers.

“What was that?” Ace asked, walking over, looking at the both of us.

“No idea, but whatever it was, it’ll be useful later on.” Marco said.

“I guess …” I said quietly. I held my out toward the ocean, and a circle appeared, but not before release Ace’s attack that he’d sent my way. “Well … um … guess I can do that too …” I say, laughing a little nervously. The circle went away, and I looked back at them. “Let’s not do that again …” I say quietly.

There was one thing that I wanted to try, but they needed to keep their distance. “Hey guys, move back, I want to try something.” I say, putting my hand on the deck. Darkness spread from my hand, quickly snaking along the ground. When Ace and Marco saw this, they quickly backed up. I continued to make the circle grow, it covering the area that I wanted it to, stopping a little bit before Whitebeard’s chair.

What I hadn’t realized, was that Ace and Marco hadn’t been able to get away from the circle, and the fact that this darkness was a little different from the other darkness that I’d been using. Before Ace and Marco even had a chance to say something, the darkness pulled them down. When I stood up, I realized that Ace and Marco weren’t where they would be, and I felt a chill go down my spine. Without any warning, I made a circle appear under me, and I went into the darkness as well.

This time, while in the darkness, there was light. It was white light, it seeming to be coming from me and as I looked around, I saw two orbs that were a slight distance away. One was the color of fire and the fire seemed to be moving, while the other was a bright blue and yellow, also moving as if it were fire. I started to walk towards them. Somehow, I was walking on what felt like soft, solid ground, and everything around felt a little like water, as my movements felt a little sluggish, but nothing that caused me alarm. When I got closer to the two different color orbs, I also saw the two people that they were attached to, Ace and Marco. Both of them were just floating there. Their eyes were closed, their heads down, almost as if they were asleep or unconscious.

“Ace! Marco!” I yelled, although my yelling was muffled. I reached a hand out to Ace, though when my hand got close enough, his orb started to leak power towards me, almost as if I was taking away his ability. I quickly pulled my hand back, backing away from him. I wasn’t sure what to do, as I was panicking, but as I panicked, I noticed that the area around them was starting to get closer. I shook my head, and before the area around them could close in anymore, I moved both of my hands up, sending Ace and Marco back up to the deck. I followed shortly after, though Ace and Marco were conscious, and looking around. They both looked towards me, and before they could say anything, I quickly ran towards the front of the ship.

I jumped over the railing, towards the ocean. I created the circle under me, as I took off running. I wanted to get away from the ship, as I had nearly killed two people, and I’d almost taken one’s ability from them.

“Willow!” Ace yelled after me, hoping to get me to come back onto the ship. Ace wasn’t sure what had happened, as all he remembered was getting absorbed into the darkness and coming back out. Ace tried to get up, but when he did, he fell back down. Something had drained him. Even though he wanted to make sure that I was alright, and didn’t beat myself up over this, he couldn’t.

“Marco … go after Willow.” He said, laying back on the deck. Marco nodded, forming his wings again, as he took off from the ship, heading the same way that I went, slowly starting to catch up to me.


End file.
